Silent Beginnings
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: The heir to the throne of Korea has come to live in Jun Pyo's house as he attends college. Yi Jeong has taken on a new prospective artist. When the two world's of the two people collide, it brings with them intrigue, annoyance, heartache, misery, but most of all silence. Two people from two different worlds are on a crash course but how will it play out. R&R
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Here's the new story. It may take a little bit of time to get it up and running. I'm not sure how it is going to work so bear with me. It could come out quickly or it could drag on. Who knows?

Also, SHINee is in this one. You'll have to read the first chapter to find out what it's about, but I hope you like it. It's just a random thought I had and have been working on it for two days. So here is the madness that is my brain on crack (cotton candy that is). Hopefully you like it. And leave me wonderful comments. Bad ones are okay but good ones make me happy. Speculate as much as you want on this one.

As I write this my cat is playing with her shadow.

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Jun Pyo turned and looked at his friends. All three of them were staring at him like he had lost his mind. He probably had. Nothing as important as this had happened since his marriage and the birth of his son. Now he was able to be slightly weird.

But things had to be done. The Constitutional Republic of Korea demanded it. Now what that meant was Korea was a constitutional monarchy, much like Great Britain. After the Korean War, the monarchy was reinstated so the people would have something to believe in. After a war that had borough them closer with the United States they needed something that was wholly theirs.

The position of president had been changed to Emperor and the man in that position had stepped down. An election had taken place one final time and Jeon Sung Min had been chosen as emperor. His family of seven had been moved from their quiet suburb home to the old Joseon Palace until a new place could be refurbished.

During that time, the former emperor had died and his son had taken over. His son had lived away from the palace and had had been asked to return at his father's death. He had brought with him two children.

That had occurred a little over four years ago. The children had even in elementary school and high school. The older child would be heading into college, and that was what was causing all the ruckus.

Even the rise of the monarchy couldn't stop Shinhwa Group from taking over again. They were still the leading group in acquisitions, trade, and everything. The only group who beat them in any area was Song Construction. As it was the company was the one in charge of building the new palace.

Because of that the Songs had been asked to house heir to the throne while he was in college. Unfortunately they had to turn downhill sniffer due to construction. Costs. They had so many projects on there was hardly anyone home. The royal family member had to have someone there at all times.

So the student had been bounced to Jun Pyo's house. He and Jan Di had alternating schedules so someone would always be home with their son. It was a somewhat perfect set up.

That was the reason Jun Pyo was acting weird. He was supposed to be helping get the house ready, but he had never cleaned in his life. He had no idea how to do it. So he supervised in his own word way.

Yi Jeong looked at his watch. "I know you want us all here, but I have to go. I have a meeting with perspective artists. I'm trying to get a new showing of international artists to boost their popularity."

"Anyone we know?" Ji Hoo asked.

The youngest member shrugged. "A couple maybe but the rest are virtual unknowns. Some are students."

Jun Pyo poured a bit. "Fine. Go on. I guess we'll manage."

Yi Jeong left the other two watching their idiot friend act like a moron. There was nothing they could do to help so they stood quietly.

What seemed like hours passed when there was a knock at the door. Everyone scurried about. Jun Pyo looked sick as he walked over to the window and looked out. The Royal emblem was emblazoned across the doors of the car.

They were here.

Hurriedly, he walked to the door. Woo Bin and Ji Hoo looked at each other and shrugged. He hadn't been like this since his son's birth. What a time for him to lose his mind.

The three men walked out the door to stand under the awning. A well dressed man got out of the front passenger seat and walked to the back of the car. He opened the door and bowed slightly.

The first person out of the car was a short brown haired man. He wasn't the same age as the men before him but he wasn't a high school student. The ear piece in his ear gave him away as a body guard.

The second and third men were blond headed. They shifted to the other side of the door, opposite their friend. The fourth man was the tallest one with black hair. He stretched as he unfolded himself. Jun Pyo wondered if Woo Bin had that issue sometimes.

Finally the royal family member stepped out. He had lilac hair that faded to blond as it receded to his roots. He gnawed at the corner of his bottom lip as he looked around. It was obvious he still wasn't used to the lifestyle of royalty.

He focused on his hosts with a gently smile and bowed deeply. "Hello. My name is Jeon Taemin. These are my guards Shim Onew, Kim Jonghyun, Lee Key, and Lee Minho. Please don't treat us differently because we're from the palace."

"How old are you?" Ji Hoo asked.

"Twenty-two."

The doctor pinched Woo Bin aggressively, twisting the skin violently. "Don't start singing Taylor Swift." The architect only smiled. "What year are you in school?"

"I'm a sophomore in college. Minho and I go together every day because he's finishing up his degree. I'm majoring in art while he works with music mechanics."

The guys shared interested looks with each other. Yi Jeong would be really happy to hear that. He was always looking for new people to teach art to. Music was Ji Hoo's department so they would inadvertently end up talking about that. There was some common ground here.

Jun Pyo was fidgety as he turned back to the house. "Please come inside."

His friends cringed at the man's attempt at formal language as they followed the group inside. Jun Pyo didn't use formal language to anyone. He was so far off that radar that it was amazing he talked to anyone like they were normal human beings. Even his wife and Yi Jeong's fiancé were wary around him most of the time. But Jan Di would let him have it whenever he deserved it. She could be as nasty as he was.

The staff followed them and separated to do their jobs. Some hung around in the background to see if they were needed. They were all on edge with the Crown Prince in the house. There was no doubt that Jun Pyo was going to be even snarkier with royalty in the house. He was the type who liked things perfect.

"Would you like to go to your rooms first or have a meal?" he asked. He had gone all out and had made the best guest rooms in the house available to them. He had even asked for the best meals to be prepared while the prince stayed in the house. It was going to cost a small fortune but he said he could handle it.

Taemin smiled, looking at the floor briefly in embarrassment. "Please. We're not in the palace so lower your speech. Even Onew doesn't talk to me like this."

Jun Pyo shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"Then talk comfortably while we're here. This is your house. I'm just your guest."

Glancing back at his friends, the CEO of Shinhwa Group nodded. "I may be able to do that. What would you like to do?"

The younger man looked at his friends. They shrugged, not really caring at what he decided. His gentle smile never faded as he looked back at his host. It was so reminiscent of what Jun Pyo did sometimes. Well, except for the gentle smile. The man rarely smiled gently unless he was talking to his wife or son, but he always consulted with his friends.

"We'd like to take a moment to settle in. This is the first time in four years I've been out of the palace and in a normal home. I want to feel it again," he said kindly.

The host looked at his butler and the older man stepped forward to lead the men to their accommodations. They could hear him talking to the new group as they walked up the stairs and disappeared around the corner. He was giving the history on the house and how many rooms there were and what they could do. He was totally being a know it all.

The nanny brought Jun Pyo's son to him. Just like his father, Eun Seul had curly black hair that bounced around his head. He had his mother's nose and dimples and happy smile. She tried to hush the child, but he had seen his father. Jun Pyo took his son and bounced him as he swung the baby to his hip. The little boy immediately grabbed his ear and started to scratch it.

"What are you going to do?" Woo Bin asked. Ever the one to get the conversation rolling, he looked pleasantly enthused at the situation at hand.

"I'll accommodate him as much as possible. I've been told to be strict on him but he's so young. I think he needs to have some fun," Jun Pyo said as he tried to pry his son's hands away from his shirt collar.

The Royal family had strict guidelines for their children. The heir to the throne was not supposed to have any outside relationships that would be detrimental to the throne. He was to be cordial and understanding at all times and a hard worker. The envoy from the palace had made sure that Jun Pyo had the list of appropriate schedules that Taemin could do, and the inappropriate ones that he should stay away from. Everything the man's life was organized.

But to the man who ran the biggest company, it looked like slave labor. Taemin's personality said he wasn't going to argue with it, but he should be able to have a little bit of fun. Jun Pyo wasn't going to stop him if he wanted to meet with friends along the way.

"Don't go too overboard. He has to keep up an image. We don't want have to ruin his reputation. He's going to be Emperor some day," Ji Hoo cautioned. As it was, Taemin had the pure and unadulterated look going on about him. They had wondered if the kid had ever had a girlfriend.

"I know. I'll be careful." He looked at the huge clock on the wall. "Get to work. I know you two have a lot to do. It's a busy time for you, Woo Bin, as you plan the layout for the palace, and Ji Hoo has to work at the hospital. Thank you for being here, but I'm okay now."

The older two men looked at each other with impressed looks. Their friend had really grown in the last two years. He was finally a man instead of a little snot nosed brat that had acted spoiled and carefree.

They said their goodbyes and left the house and their friend to his fate. All of them knew this was going to be interesting, but they had yet to see how interesting or how much trouble all of this was going to cause. Because whatever F4 did, there was always something that was going to backfire right before it got any better.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: So my sister came home from college for the second time since she has been gone. She brought a friend with her so we had to clean the house. But we have so many animals that it's hard to keep it clean. I felt bad because my dad had to clean while sick. But I couldn't tell him that my middle sister was supposed to do that.

Sometimes I feel like my author's notes are kind of like a mini blog I keep up with when I write a new story. I know many of you who read these don't really care what I'm doing but those who do, thank you for letting me ruin a few minutes of your life with my drivel. It just makes me feel better for some reason.

Here's where we meet our female character. She's like all my other leads; she's crazy and obviously has something she's bringing to the table. I hope I can get all the emotions across that I'm feeling for her as I create her.

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Yi Jeong was tired already. He had been interviewing artists for the last few hours with no luck. None of the people who had applied for the position were what he was looking for. The backgrounds of everyone was so good but it wasn't what he wanted.

He knew he probably shouldn't be picky. All these people wanted was for others to see their work, but he knew many of them would achieve that. He wanted someone who was the underdog. He wanted to promote the person as someone who could beat all the odds. He had to feel that as he looked at their work.

The people he had seen first were all the same. They had all the happiness on their faces but their works were dreary and morbid. One guy had even painted a picture of him slaying an evil dragon that obviously represented his mother. Mentally Yi Jeong thought the guy needed help. Most artists were a little on the morbid side, but this was the worst one the potter had seen and he had been working with art for years. Luckily that guy hadn't pushed the issue when Yi Jeong had said he wasn't what he had been looking for.

One after the other, it was the same ole same old drab. Many were interesting but they didn't have that spark. He was slowly losing his mind as he waited for the right person to come through his office doors and wow him.

His secretary escorted the second to last person out, giving Yi Jeong time to stretch. He glanced down at the next applicant and had to do a double take. This person wasn't of Korean descent at all. They were American with Pacific Islander ancestry. He flipped through the file, enraptured with everything he read.

It all came to a head when the door to his office opened and two people came in. it was obvious at first glance that they were twins by the same curly hair and facial features, but they were completely exotic. They had deep tans that could only come from living on an island all their lives. They were the complete opposites of anyone who had come through those doors. Yi Jeong wondered who was who as they sat in front of his desk.

He looked down at the file. Both (obviously) were from Hawaii with Hawaiian descent in their backgrounds. They had grown up on the Oahu and had come to Korea two years ago. They were now fluent in the language and hadn't planned on leaving. But which was which?

"Storm Montgomery?" he asked in his best English. It was decent but not perfect.

The woman nodded but it was the man who answered. "She's Storm." He looked sheepish when Yi Jeong looked at him. "My sister doesn't speak. She hasn't in two years."

Yi Jeong looked at the woman and she looked right back at him, unashamed. Her eyes were kind and bright, but the amazing thing about them was they were a light violet. They stood out against her dark hair and skin.

His eyes roved over her face until they landed on the violent white scar circling her right eye. She didn't look away even when she realized he was staring. She seemed to be used to it.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. She shook her head as kindness oozed off her.

"Storm was in an accident that caused that. She's not really shy about it," her brother said.

Yi Jeong smiled. He was suddenly beginning to like this person even though he had just met her. "May I see your portfolio?"

Storm handed it over and sat back to watch his reaction. Her brother looked at her and she shook her head. They had the freaky twin thing going on and weren't afraid to use it even in pleasant company.

The potter flipped through the book, amazed at the quality of work the pieces brought forth. He was very impressed at the level of expertise he was seeing. Storm was quiet but her work was loud. Not because it was popping with color, but it was full of life. He could see she really enjoyed what she did.

"How do you do with pottery?" he asked out of curiosity.

She leaned forward and grasped a tab (that told him how organized she was). The pages flipped right to it. Yi Jeong looked at bowls, cups, teapots, plaster, sculptures, and anything a truly refined artist dedicated to the craft could create.

His mouth dropped at the life-size recreation of the titan Atlas. Unlike the original, this one was made out of clay and painted with vibrant colors. It gave the sculpture life as well as told the story of the man who held the world on his back.

"You have a raw talent," he said as he closed the folder. "I especially love the Atlas recreation. Not many people have the ability to recreate classics. What's your specialty?"

"Glass," her brother piped up again. Yi Jeong glanced up from the book in which he was engrossed. The man smiled. "By the way, my name is Jax."

The artist let it slide and looked back at his interviewee. "Glass etchings are your best?" he asked. She shook her head, curls flying about her face. She pointed behind him, and he glanced back. "Paintings?"

"She can recreate stained glass, but her best feature is her blown glass," Jax explained. "She's been studying it for nearly a decade, but we don't have the resources for her to have her own studio to be really successful and it's too expensive to rent a place. So she's made up for it by perfecting everything else."

Yi Jeong looked at Storm for a just a moment longer. She was so expressive even when she was silent. She took in everything that was going on around her. Her brother was her voice but her hands were her emotions. Everything she was feeling went into something and it became a beautiful piece. Not everyone had that ability. Not even Yi Jeong could recreate emotions.

"Miss Storm," he said as he leaned forward to hand her portfolio to her, "it would be my honor to work with you."

Storm grasped her folder and inclined her head. The siblings shared a look and the happy smiles that played across their faces were identical. It was a candid moment that made Yi Jeong wish he had a camera on hand.

"When should she start?" Jax asked.

"I planned to start today once I had decided." The other artist noticed the frown that replaced the happy smile. "Is that not acceptable?"

"I have to be back at the university for my afternoon classes. Storm would be left alone." The woman in question looked at her brother and shook her head. "Are you sure?"

"I won't leave her alone. I'm not that comfortable with her yet to make that choice. As for now she won't be left alone."

Jax didn't look convinced, and it was understandable. But his sister was already over him. She set her portfolio on the desk and stood. Grabbing his arm, she hauled Jax up out of his seat and across the office. After opening the door, she shoved him out of the room and made a gesture before closing the door in his face.

She returned to Yi Jeong's desk and pointed at his phone. He nodded and watched as she picked it up. Whatever she did took about two seconds before she was picking up her phone. Setting his back down, she typed on hers. About thirty seconds later, his chimed.

 _/My brother thinks I'm an invalid. How do I survive when he's at work? Just because I don't talk doesn't mean I'm useless./_

Yi Jeong laughed. "You're snarky." She shrugged with a smile. "Follow me. I have a place where you can work. You won't be disturbed."

He was going to have to amend his text tone for her as she sent him another one. _/Disturbances don't bother me. I live with a disturbance. I actually concentrate with some sort of noise./_

"I'm sure we can do something about that. Follow me."

Storm gathered her bag and followed him. Yi Jeong wasn't a bad guy. He seemed kind and understanding. It was one of the reasons she wanted to be sponsored by him. The last few people who'd had their works shown by him had gone on to wonderful careers. That's what she wanted. She wanted to be known for her works, not necessarily by her works or who she was affiliated with.

He led her down the hall and to another entrance. His office was attached to his studio. The space was huge. He was able to house and work with his students if he so chose. Fortunately Storm had a house.

"I don't have everything you need, but I have a furnace. I'll whatever else is needed to get started so make a list. Feel free to use and make whatever you want. All I ask is that you clean what you mess up," he said.

Storm nodded and continued to look around the studio. He was essentially giving her free reign of his work space without as much as a snarky attitude. She had heard about F4 and about how they could ruin someone, but this member was working to help people do what they want to do in life. He would help as long as you were willing to work your ass off. If not, he would drop you then you were screwed.

Yi Jeong wondered what was going through her mind as she wandered through his most private space. She was soaking it all in and that told him she was going to make sure she stayed near him so she could work. He hadn't really seen anyone with this much passion oozing off them. She looked to be in heaven and that made him laugh.

"Oh, I have to tell you. I'm giving private lessons to a college student as well. He'll be coming in on Tuesdays and Thursdays at seven so if you don't want to work with anyone in the room you have been forewarned," he said.

She pulled out her phone. _/I'll be fine. It will be hot in here once I light the furnace because it has to be nearly 1300 degrees Fahrenheit to melt the glass./_

Yi Jeong looked up from the screen. "Does that mean you will be wearing as little as acceptably possible?" She laughed but nodded. "As long as you keep this," he waved his hand away but close to her upper body, "covered we'll be fine. I have coveralls I use sometimes."

He looked down at the screen when she replied. _/Are tank tops acceptable?/_

"As long as you stay covered." He watched her walk over to a cabinet and open it. "What are you doing?" She pointed at herself then the cabinet. "Are you taking that over?" She nodded.

He laughed at her then motioned her over to one of the long tables in the middle of the room. True to what he was feeling, Storm sat on the table and swung her feet like she was a child. He shook his head at her then looked up at her.

"Is there a reason you don't speak?" He thought her gaze was going to change but it was the same as she nodded. "Is it private?" This time she shook her head. "Will I ever know?"

She pointed at the scar and he realized it had something to do with it. Without being able to control it, he reached up and touched her face. She closed her eyes and let him run his thumb over the raised and angry scar. He didn't think she could help leaning her head into his hand and it endeared her to him even more.

"All right. You don't have to tell me what happened, but I expect to know at some point. It's only fair since I think this affected your art more than you want to admit."

When she opened her eyes, the color in them had deepened. They were so deep a violet it looked like molten amethyst had been poured into them to darken them. He knew he had touched on something that she didn't share often but since they were both artists, it would come out naturally. Here she was able to open all the doors that had been closed.

"Your brother doesn't touch you like this often does he?"

She shook her head before pulling away and walking around the studio again. This time he just watched her and didn't worry about what she was feeling. She would tell him eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: So I said I had no idea how long it was going to take me to write this but I had a sudden inspiration. It will take some time to get things going, and the characters will progress much faster than they normally do, but I'm sure you won't mind. It just means there are more things for you to read and more often for you to read them.

I'm sitting in front of the heater as I write this. I got a cold chill so I turned it on. The dog started barking right in my ear. Then he licked it. I hate that the most. He doesn't care because he is a big oaf but he seems to watch what I am doing rather intently. I think he may want to help write this.

For the record, if I throw boy group members into the BoF world I try to change their family names. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't. This time it didn't because of Jonghyun, but it doesn't really matter. As long as you know who you're reading about that's all that matters.

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Taemin felt like he was being undressed by everyone around him as he walked across the campus to the car waiting for him. Minho strode beside him, head down as he watched for those who would want to harm the Crown Prince.

They had completed their first full day at Shinhwa University as students living away from their families. It had been quiet but Taemin could feel every eye turn to him as soon as he entered a room. He hadn't wanted to cause any trouble but it seemed his mere presence was enough to cause everyone to stop their studies. He had felt embarrassed and pressured as he had sat through all of his classes.

Somewhere in the middle of the day he had received a text from his dad asking how he was doing. He had answered in his obvious tone: he was doing fine but he was getting weird looks from everyone. He had known it would happen but it still bothered him. His dad had told him just to keep his head up and keep on keeping on. It really hadn't been an inspiration.

Ever since he had been name Crown Prince, everyone had thought highly of him even though he was a normal guy on the inside. He didn't even want to be in this situation. He would rather be at home in Daegu with his friends than living with four men around him at all times. He loved Onew, Jonghyun, Key and Minho but he needed time to himself every now and then. Which was why he had suggested he live by himself.

When he had done that, he had hoped his dad would let him go off like normal college students did. But no. He'd had to find a suitable place for him to live and stay while in school. And of course his guards had to come with him. He couldn't be alone in the house or out and about and he had to check in if he was away from the guys. He was a prisoner instead of free.

If he had a choice he would have walked away a long time ago, but his sister was ten years younger than him. If something happened to his father, she wasn't old enough or ready to take the throne. She probably would never be because she didn't have the inclination to run an entire country, not that she would anyway. But it was still the principle. So he had stayed when everything in him told him to run.

Because of that decision he had been tossed into a gilded cage and commanded to stay still until the door was opened. He was okay until people started asking him things like when he was going to get married and start a family. That was the furthest thing from his mind. He just wanted to finish college and maybe start a career before he had to take his father's position.

There was enough speculation that he was already engaged when no such arrangement had been made. He would have a say in whom he was to marry if he even wanted to get married. His family wasn't audacious enough to push that on him. Now they may have discussions with the intended family but in the end it was his decision. So far that hadn't been the case yet.

The car pulled up to the curb and Minho opened the back door. Jonghyun looked in the rearview mirror as they climbed in. He had just recently obtained his driver's license so they wouldn't have to use a driver and had been taking them to and from school. Onew and Key would sometimes accompany them but most of the time they stayed at home and made sure the domestic things were taken care of. The system actually worked ninety percent of the time.

Taemin looked at his phone. It was Tuesday and close to five in the evening. He had a couple of hours to kill before he was supposed to go to his art class. He understood why Minho and Onew had made the decision to put him in extra classes. It would keep him busy and in their sights while he was there, but the man in question was well aware of his attention span. If he was bored he wasn't going to pay attention.

He had heard of So Yi Jeong but he had never met the man. He was an acclaimed potter who made a steady living not only off his fortune but also by teaching people pottery and art. He had helped fifteen artists already reach critical acclaim and was looking to give another budding artist a chance. Taemin had been signed up simply to keep him busy, not because he wanted to be famous. He was already famous because of his linage.

No one said a word as the car pulled up to the curb and Minho bailed out first. He did his usual thing and looked around the area before he allowed Taemin even out of the car. Jonghyun parked and with the men on either side, the maknae, or youngest man, was led inside the building.

He heard the music before he even got to the studio. It was well-lit and warm while the outside of the building was cold. It was a cozy place to be during the winter it seemed.

Looking around the room, he didn't see anyone at first, but then his eyes fell on a beautiful woman sitting behind a potter's wheel. She was dressed in coveralls that were zipped up to her waist with the arms tied around her hips. Her upper body was covered by a tank top but he could see the muscle definition in her arms. She was covered in clay and water as her hands moved through the miry mess in front of her, but it didn't take away from the fact that she was an exceptional golden bronze color.

Taemin had never seen anything like her. He had seen foreign women before but they had been on diplomatic missions as liaisons. He had never been face to face with one who didn't know who he was. She had obviously never been told that he was coming. Anyone who knew who he was knew what he was bringing when he came through anywhere.

The song changed and she shifted her feet. She stepped on the pedal and slowly the wheel stopped spinning. She grabbed a piece of twine and gently pulled it through the base of the clay. The mold popped off cleanly and she swung her leg over the stool and stood.

She finally realized she wasn't alone when she turned around from placing the soon-to-be-fired bowl. She wiped her hands on towel she had pulled from her pocket and looked at them. Her curly hair framed her face even though it was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and she looked at them with an open and curious look.

Smiling, he went forward, Jonghyun and Minho trailing behind at a slight pace. She didn't back up as he stepped right in front of her. They were almost the same height; she was maybe half an inch shorter than him.

She tilted her head and that made him smile. She didn't care who he was whether she knew him or not.

He bowed his head slightly, which she returned. "Hello. My name is Taemin. Are you one of So Yi Jeong's students as well?" She shook her head but her eyes never left his face. They were an amazing color.

"Are you deaf?" Jonghyun asked.

"Hyung," Taemin scolded. He looked back at the woman scared. "I'm sorry. Sometimes he doesn't know when to use tact." She shook her head as if waving it all off. "Is So Yi Jeong here?"

She turned and walked away from him, disappearing into another room. During the time she was gone, Taemin looked around the room. It was messy at the moment because she had been working but he figured it was usually kept clean. So Yi Jeong must be a stickler about his studio.

He heard a voice and he turned around. The woman had returned with another man. He was reading something on a phone to which he replied. They stopped right in front of him and the man talked.

After a moment, the man turned and bowed. "Hello. Welcome to my studio and your first day of lessons. I'm So Yi Jeong. I hope you enjoy your stay and your lessons."

Taemin bowed in response and he knew his friends behind him do the same. "Hello. I'm Jeon Taemin. Please take care of me. These are two of my guards Lee Minho and Kim Jonghyun. The other two are Shim Onew and Lee Key."

Yi Jeong made a face. "Onew and Key?"

"They're nicknames. I'm not even sure I know their real names." Taemin nodded behind him Yi Jeong. "Is that your girlfriend?"

The woman looked shocked and Yi Jeong laughed when he looked at her. "No. My wife would kill me. This is Storm Montgomery. She's an artist building her portfolio with me until I can get her a showing set up. You'll be working beside her until then." He glanced back at her and she nodded. "Oh, and one other thing. She's not deaf or mute. She just doesn't talk. I don't know why but your best bet would be to get her number and text her because she won't answer your phone call. I know that for a fact."

Taemin looked at her again. So her name was Storm. It would something completely different in Korean, but it suited her. They watched each other for the longest, only stopping when she broke away to go work on something else.

"Storm," Yi Jeong said as he followed her across the studio. "I ordered the supplies you'll need. There may be days when I need you to stay overnight so the furnace won't burn down the studio." She held her hands up in a questioning manner. "I'll figure out a place for you to sleep."

Taemin watched the exchange in fascination. They were having a full on conversation without one of them talking. He wondered how that even came about.

Not too long after, Yi Jeong started giving him lessons. It really wasn't a lesson as much as it was a review of what he already knew. He wanted to test and make sure he could really do what he needed to do in the extra lessons.

Taemin thought he could concentrate on what was being said but the woman across the way was too distracting. His mind kept wandering back to why she didn't talk. He wanted know the reason but he didn't know her well enough to ask outright. Besides she was engrossed in the next piece she was working on.

Yi Jeong knew that the Prince was smitten. It was easy to see it on his face. He couldn't concentrate and was staring over into the far corner of the room. Much like the potter, the young man had been caught by the woman. But unlike the older man, the younger wasn't going to be able to let go as easy. He was already losing that battle with his eyes.

"Taemin, if you can't pay attention, maybe we should just stop here," he said after about an hour of nothing.

Taemin looked at him like he was caught doing something naughty. Yi Jeong knew that look. He hid a laugh when the kid got up and headed over to the other side of the room.

Storm looked up when a shadow fell over her. Tilting her head back, she made eye contact with Taemin. She smiled at him and when she turned back to her work, she heard his sharp breathy intake. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her, but her curiosity was much higher than her humor.

She spun around and caught him off guard by her close proximity. Without caring to who he was, she felt in his pockets until she found his phone. Over his shoulder, she saw his guards steel themselves in case she hurt him. Instead of hurting him, she pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. He had a pass code of his phone.

Taemin's mouth fell open in shock as Storm easily cracked his code and pulled up his contact lists. After a minute, she handed it back to him. He had a message written in one of his texts boxes.

 _/I'm not stupid enough not to recognize the Crown Prince of Korea, but I won't treat you any differently than I do my brother. If I think you're being an asshole, I will say "You, sir, are an asshole. I saw it on Pinterest one time and I like it./_

Taemin couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up at the message. No one had ever talked to him in such a way. He looked up and found humor in her eyes. She knew she was being a snarky brat to him and didn't really care.

Stepping forward, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger gently. He had never touched someone so intimately like that. But she didn't back away from it. In fact she turned her head, exposing her neck. The scar he had noticed last time trailed from her right eye down the side of her neck down into her shirt. It was bright against her darkened skin.

"Noona." The word rolled off his tongue like molasses, thick and sweet. "I like that."

She took his phone away from him again and typed another message. During the exchange, there was no contempt. He could tell she was very easy going and loved to joke around but you had to understand how to do it.

He took his phone from her for a second time and read it.

 _/Don't start something you can't finish. I may not talk, but I can chew you up seven ways from Sunday. Keep running that pretty mouth of yours and I'll put it to good use./_

Mouth gaping open, Taemin watched her walk away from him. Looking back at his friends, Minho tilted his head in question. Shaking his, the prince realized he had just opened a can of worms that he may not be able to come back from.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I'm going to make this story in true drama fashion. If you thought the last story was crazy, this one is even worse. It's a little more on the raunchy side, but it's a lot sadder. The emotional roller coaster they are going to go through is going to be the worst I've ever written. I figured I'd warn you before you got too invested in the story.

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The last few days had been filled with nothing but flirty texts. Storm didn't realize how much of an affect she'd had on the prince until he had started texting her almost nonstop. Sometimes she answered right away. Other times she let him stew away in his misery. Either way it was fun for her.

After a week, the materials she needed to make whatever kind of glass she wanted had come in. She had started with a simply pane of stained glass, opting to have her first piece hang in the window of the studio. It was the only way she could think to thank Yi Jeong for all his help.

For three days straight she had stayed in the studio making the window pane. She wasn't going to make it for any other reason than to wet her chops again after not being able to make for it for so long. It took less than five seconds for her mind to remember what to do. After that, it was smooth sailing.

She had loved the heat as soon as she had stepped into it. Sweat had beaded on her skin as dirt had settled in on the surface. The dust seemed to be caked on her but once she showered she was clean once again. Not that it mattered to her. She had fallen in love with the heat of the furnace so she was going to enjoy it especially in the winter chill.

She had started by making small vases first. The clear ones were easier than the colored ones so she made them. When she had advanced to the colored ones, she had taken extra care not to mess up. That would take three extra hours just to melt down that one piece of glass just to start over. She had all the time in the world but her patience was thin.

By the time Yi Jeong had returned from his wedding weekend, she had made thirty clear vases, eighteen colored ones and had been working on a square one. He had simply sat down and watched as she had molded the sea green glass into a square by using a pair of tongues and heat resistant gloves. That one he had kept for himself when it had been finished.

She was the happiest when she was relaxing with a finished piece. It made her feel like she had accomplished something other than being a knot on a log. She had continued to paint and mold clay but the glass was her favorite. It was like the clay. She could mold it into whatever shape she wished.

But tonight she wasn't using the glass in the way she had been for the last week. Tonight she was doing etchings, something she really hadn't done in forever. Her hands hurt from holding the mallet and pick at weird angles, but she wanted to create this picture for Yi Jeong and his wife. Once she finished it, she was going to stop and paint it the following day. But she had to get the etchings all out.

She was on her third piece because she had cracked the sheet of glass on the first two attempts. Now she was being extra careful because the integrity of the store bought pieces weren't of the same quality as the ones she made. She was just too lazy and impatient to make her own so she had bought the others.

Halfway through the final round, her phone buzzed. She looked down to find a message from Taemin. He had been unusually silent that day. That had been a blessing because she had been able to work without interruption. He knew the timing. Somehow he knew she was almost done. But she waited until she had finished to answer him.

Storm cleaned up as per Yi Jeong's request then picked up her phone. The message was a bunch of nonsense. There was only one reason to text gibberish. You were either high or drunk. The latter option was probably the most tangible.

 _/Are you drunk?/_

She already knew the answer before she even got a reply. Jax drunk texted sometimes but his were stupid things, like puppies in balloons or trees that do cartwheels. One time he even sent something about kittens that oinked and pigs that mooed. He was a very strange man when he was drunk.

Her phone chimed again. She sighed when she read the answer. Ever since she had met him, she had always thought that Taemin was very well rounded but that he was lonely. Even though the four men that guarded him on a regular basis were his friends, he was still by himself. No one would understand what it meant to be alone in a crowd of people.

But Storm did. Because she didn't talk, she knew exactly what it meant to be alone in a room full of people. Jax did enough talking for her, but she could see in everyone's eyes that she was some sort of deformed human being because she didn't talk on her own accord. If they knew why she didn't, they wouldn't be assholes about it. But people were cruel and would talk about their own mothers if it made them feel better about themselves.

Grabbing her coat, she shut off the lights and locked up the studio. There was only one place Taemin would go without his guards that was acceptable. If he was drunk, he was liable to fall in a sewer somewhere or get the snot beat out of him simply because he was a pretty boy (haha! Like what I did there?). If anyone knew that he was the Crown Prince – and they would be stupid if they didn't – he would be taken for ransom. Taemin was completely under the control of whoever was around him. He was lucky he wasn't being attacked now.

She followed the tracking beacon she had set up on his phone until she found him at the club in the K Hotel. It was the only place he could go that no one would mess with him. They hadn't because they didn't know who he was.

She found him at the bar. His head was bent over his glass as he stared at the bar. Something was bothering him, hence the reason he was blitzed off his butt. She walked over to him and slapped some money down for his drink. The bartender nodded at her as she grabbed him by his arm and hauled him up. He looked up at her then blew alcoholic breath right in her face.

"Noona, you came," he whispered. She nodded and continued on out the door. He wasn't going to get any more sober sitting there. "I hate my life right now. My parents are trying to set me up to get married. I'm too young to get married but they don't see it that way. They think I should produce an heir right now."

Storm listened to him rant all the way back to her house. She could take him home but that was a long walk all the way to Jun Pyo's house and she had just spent the last of her money on the man's booze. She wasn't about to get in trouble for something she couldn't help.

They had a hard time getting in the building then up the elevator. Taemin was nearly dead weight as they rode up the metal box. Storm and the wall supported him fully. She had enough wherewithal to text Minho and tell him that Taemin would remain at her house and that he could come get him in the morning. Minho had simply replied OK. She didn't know what irked her more; the drunkard beside her or the OK.

The elevator stopped on the sixth floor and Storm shoved Taemin out into the hallway. He stumbled into the opposite wall and nearly sank down to the floor. She caught him before he did because if he had, she would never get him up.

They stumbled down the hallway where she stopped at her door. After punching in the key, she once again shoved Taemin into her house. Jax was away on a field trip with his classes so he wasn't going to be there for a few more days. He wouldn't be able to harp about how she should have taken him home instead of bringing him to their house.

Taemin smelled something wonderful and finally pulled himself out of his drunken haze. He looked around. His shoes and coat had been removed and he was on a couch. The place was much too small for it to be Jun Pyo's house. Sitting up, he saw her standing in the kitchen.

Storm was in the kitchen at the stove. She was wearing something that should only be worn the summer. At her house everything was off limits. He could see a tattoo on her left shoulder when she turned. But the most shocking was the white scar that ran from her neck down her back. She didn't seem to care that it was in full view of anyone who came in.

Feeling brave, he got up and slowly walked into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into him. He bent his head and pressed his mouth to the scar, nibbling gently on the raised skin. He tasted sweat and dust when he pulled back.

Storm didn't know whether she should pull away or turn into his arms. He was drunk and probably didn't know what he was doing, but the level of flirtation that had gone on during the week hadn't told her that this was what was going to happen. He hadn't said anything about liking her. She was usually very clear about her intentions. This time it was different.

"Push me away if you don't want this," he whispered. He knew she wasn't going to talk to him so he was giving her a way out.

She turned in his arms and looked up at him. His eyes were glazed over and he looked lost, but he seemed to be in complete control of his faculties. She searched his face for a lie, something to tell her that was playing about all of this.

Taemin took her face in his hand, running his thumb along the whiteness along her right eye. The scar looked painful but she didn't show whether it was or not. He gripped her jaw and pulled her closer to him.

"Noona," he muttered before he lowered his head.

Her senses fired on all cylinders. Storm could taste the alcohol, bibimbop, and ttoekbokki on his breath. But underneath it all was the clear taste of Taemin. She couldn't explain it but it tasted faintly of coffee. The more he kissed her, the more she tasted it. It was going to be something she never forgot.

Taemin's fingers played at the hem of her shirt as he pressed her back into the counter. It didn't take long for it to find its way to her kitchen floor. Taemin tipped her head back and attacked her neck, nibbling gently along her artery. He followed the line down until his mouth settled over her breast.

Storm jerked away from him. In his drunken haze her saw her wide gaze. He wanted to calm it so he pulled her close and waited until she stopped shaking. Then he slowly resumed what he was doing.

He got tired of standing really quickly so he swung her up into his arms and carried her into what he assumed was her bedroom. He was grateful that he was correct because it would slightly awkward if the owner of the room randomly showed up and they were in bed.

Taemin realized she wasn't fighting him as he divested her of her clothing, making a nice little pile on the floor. He knew she was nervous so he gently placed her on her belly, settling gently over top of her. He began to kiss her back, leaving a trail of gentleness in his wake. When he looked up to see what she was actually doing, she had her hands tucked under her pillows with her head to one side. It opened her right side up so he kissed the bared scar.

Storm had never been treated so passionately. Even though he was drunk, there was something about Taemin that oozed control. He had been gentle ever since he had met her though his text messages were slightly crazy. He had never given her any inclination that he was remotely attracted to her.

"Noona," he whispered right in her ear, nibbling on it a little, "you don't have to be responsible for me."

Storm didn't know what happened between then and her being flipped over. The next thing she remembered was Taemin's naked body settled between her knees. She looked up at him and wondered what he was planning on doing when he sat back then looked down. She realized something was going on that had never happened before.

She was excited. Severely excited. She wanted him to touch her more.

No noise came out when he slipped inside her. His mouth was ajar as he adjusted her legs around him and watched as she grew accustomed to his girth. The muscles in her legs tightened around his hips. Tentatively, he pushed his hips forward and watched as her head fell back against the pillow.

His speed picked up until all that could be heard was their breath and the smacking of skin. Taemin leaned forward and wrapped his toned arms around Storm's head as he used his hips to keep up the rhythm. He stared into her eyes, watching as every emotion played through their violet depths. It took a little bit of time to realize that she was raising her hips to meet his.

They were so engrossed in each other. Neither one had ever had this kind of deep connection. Taemin had seen what his parents had and had always wanted it, and Storm had only ever had her brother so she'd never seen the affection two people could have for each other.

Taemin pulled his knees under him and pulled her on top of him all at the same time. Storm looked down at him as she rode him. He looked so content. She pushed his lilac hair from his face and lowered her head. Taemin met her halfway and the kiss they shared was electric. It zinged through their bloodstreams and connected them on such a deeper level than they had previously thought.

He wrapped his arms around her back about the time his hips started to stutter. His rhythm was starting to falter, which was a clear indication that he was about to blow. It was about time too because Storm was at her limit as well.

Taemin buried his face in Storm's shoulder as he spent himself. He clutched at her as his body shook from the force of his orgasm. Storm shook uncontrollably at the same time as she too rode out her first ever moment of pure pleasure.

They sat like that for a long time. Neither one could move. Taemin finally sat up as far as he could and fell forward. He slipped free of her but didn't move, opting to lay on her. He could feel her breath shake from her lungs. After a moment, it started to slow down. Looking up, he noticed that she was slowly falling asleep.

Taemin gripped the duvet and pulled it down. Sliding up the bed, he rested against the extra pillow and pulled the blanket up around them. Storm rolled into him and nestled against his side. Smiling he wrapped his arms around her and slowly fell into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I have the house to myself as I write this so I get to watch football. I don't know why I wanted to say that but here it is. This might be one of the longer stories I have written for BoF. I know what I want to do with it. Let's see if the characters work with me in the way I hope they will. So far so good.

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Taemin spent himself for an unknown time. Every time he woke up and felt the woman beside him, his body roared to life. Storm never stopped him. Sometimes she made it worse by sucking his skin or his nipples. That sent more pleasure through him and it made it so much worse that he swelled more than possible.

They never talked and it made it so much more enjoyable. He had to figure out what she liked best then use it. But since she didn't talk it was harder to do so he had to figure it out by touch and expression. She was expressive so it made it easier.

He leaned down and pressed to cheek to hers as he waited for his body to stop erupting. She turned his head and kissed him as he went back to his normal size. The make out session was sweeter than the sex.

He rolled to his side and pulled her close. The adrenaline made his head pound. He was also having a hangover as well. The combination was potent. His fingers traced random patterns on the skin of her belly as he kissed her shoulder.

Storm sat up after a moment and reached over to her side table. Taemin watched through half lidded eyes as she grabbed his phone. His fingers were twirling on her hip as she took his phone and typed something on his screen. She handed it to him over her shoulder then rummaged through her drawer.

 _/I need to get to the studio. You should go to class. I'd hate for you to miss because of this./_

He laughed and rolled over to toss an arm over her waist, propping his head up of her arm. "Are you kicking me out?" She shook her head. He took her hand and laced their fingers. She looked down at them then up at him. "Storm, do you regret this?"

She took his phone again. _/Do you?/_

He looked at her. She was chewing on her bottom lip. It was the first time he had seen something other than gentleness. She was clearly upset by some thought he couldn't read.

"I could have left when I woke up the first time but I'm still here. Do I look like I regret anything?" he asked.

She typed on his screen again. _/I'm not doing this with you again./_

Taemin watched her get up and disappear from the room. Something about that conversation had dropped the mood. He didn't understand what was behind the outburst, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to let her go just like that.

Getting up, he followed the sounds from down the hall. She was in the shower. He opened the door to the room and fragrant steam rolled out. He went in and pulled open the shower door. She was unaware that he was there until he wrapped his arms around and pulled her against him. She didn't fight him but she didn't melt into him like she had during the night. He kissed her neck up to her ear, taking a moment to tease it with his tongue.

"I'm not using you, Noona, nor do I want to hurt you," he said as his hands spanned her belly. He kissed her behind her ear then trailed it down her jaw until he found her mouth.

Storm wasn't the type to be swayed by words, but both actions and words by this man said the same thing. Yes he'd been drunk when he had been brought to her place but he had known what he had been doing. Nothing had said that he was lying to her.

He was gentle even now. Last night he had made sure she was comfortable. It was what a beginner did. She was certain last night had been his first time as well. He wasn't going to hurt her and she was certain he didn't have a violent bone in his body.

It may have been his first time, but he was really good at kissing. He knew just what he had to do to make her want more. She didn't know if he had kissed someone before or if it was his first time at that as well. Whichever it was, he did it well. His lips were tender no matter where they were. He barely used his teeth but when he did, he immediately soothed the ache with his tongue. It was intoxicating and addicting.

The shower took longer than normal because Taemin wanted to play. He tried to kiss every inch of skin he washed but ended up crashing to the shower floor. Storm laughed at him then sat in the floor with him. She washed his face then rinsed it. He smiled at her then took her face in his hands to kiss her again.

"Go out with me tonight," he proposed. She looked at him as water dripped down his face. "It will be just the two of us. I won't let my guards anywhere near us. We can do what you want?"

Storm looked at him and shook her head. Everything had been done backwards. Usually they would be in a relationship before they slept together. There was no point in doing anything else now. Plus he was the prince whose family had already started the wedding proceedings. She would be viewed as the woman who broke up a happy family. Her family had been ripped apart by another woman and she had no inclination to be labeled that.

She stood and turned off the water. Stepping out of the shower, she grabbed the towel off the rack and wrapped it around herself. Taemin watched her leave the bathroom. He wasn't going to give up on going out with her. He may have done things backwards but he wasn't going to give up. But something had passed through her mind as he asked her out.

He walked out after a few minutes. Storm was already dressed and getting ready to leave. Her bag was on the couch by her coat and she was going through it. She pointed to the bedroom when he stopped in the living.. When he walked in, he found a pile of clothes on the bed as well as his phone.

/These belong to my brother. He's your size and I don't think he'll miss them. Put them on until you get home./

He didn't argue with her. There was no need. She was going to be stubborn but she was still nice. She wasn't going to let him go home via the walk of shame. Not that it mattered. Everyone knew he had stayed with her.

He had just bagged his clothes and walked out to the living room when she walked over to the door and put her shoes on. He grabbed his jacket and ran to do the same. She looked at him then flipped off the lights and walked out.

They took the elevator down to the first floor in silence. Taemin realized she was standing in the corner away from him. She was worrying the bottom lip as she stared at the reflective doors. She obviously did that when she was thinking hard about something.

When the box dinged and the doors opened, Storm stepped out ahead of him. She was outside before he even realized what was going on. He smiled and ran to catch up with her, taking her hand in broad daylight. He knew the press would be on the lookout for him and anything he did, but at the moment he didn't care.

"Do you take the bus or a cab?" he asked. She pointed to the bus with their clasped hands. "I still have my bus pass. Do you want to ride together? It could be fun." She shook her head. "All right. I guess I'll see you off here."

Storm stopped him right in the sidewalk. She looked at him like she didn't want him to go alone. With her free hand she motioned to him. It took a second for him to realize she wanted his phone. He handed it over without a fuss. He watched her unlock his screen and pull up his messages. Her fingers flew across the screen for a second before she handed it back.

 _/I don't think that's a good idea. You don't know what someone will do to you. Anyone would be out for your head since they know who you are./_

Taemin smiled at the concern that filled not only the text message but her eyes as well. He looked through the other messages on his phone. She had texted Onew to come get him. No matter how much she said they weren't going to be connected again she still took care of him.

Reaching up, he pushed a stray curl from her face. "Where should we wait until Onew gets here?" She pointed to the coffee shop on the corner. He smiled and tugged her along. "Then let's eat."

Storm once again let herself be dragged by Taemin. He was very convincing when he was happy, and since he had been with her he had been smiling. He didn't care that she didn't talk. He was learning to read through the silence. That was scary. Only Jax had been able to do that. She didn't know what she would do if another person could read through the wall she had put up.

Taemin knew the happy mood was gone as they walked into the coffee shop. He ordered two Americanos and muffins then led her to the far booth. He sat with his back to the door and hunkered down so no one would see his hair. He was very recognizable. He pulled out a notepad and pen then set it in the middle between them.

"Let's take some time to get to know each other. Obviously you know me. I'm not sure anyone hasn't heard of me," he said.

She took the pad from him and he watched as she scribbled some Hangul on the page. They said that a person's handwriting was indicative of who they were. Storm was a perfectionist and artistic simply by the strokes of her hand. She was also focused based on the look on her face. He could see her tongue peeking out the side of her mouth as she wrote.

After a few moments, she held up the notepad with basic information written across it.

 _/My name is Storm Montgomery. I'm twenty-six years old and have an older twin brother I live with. I'm from Hawaii with Pacific Islander descent. I majored in art at California Institute of the Arts and graduated with honors. I moved here two years ago with my brother and have no plans on leaving./_

Taemin nodded as he chewed a piece of his muffin. So she was older than him. He really couldn't tell sometimes but she was four years older than him. That wasn't too bad. He could deal with that.

"Was I the first guy you slept with?" he whispered. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and that made him smile. He was. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. But I'm honored whether you believe me or not." She blinked slowly at him, as if waiting for him to continue. "What are you working on at the studio? I haven't been there since Thursday."

She flipped the page and scribbled something down. _/I was blowing glass./_

He frowned at the answer. "You can do that?" She nodded then pointed to the line where she had majored in art. "It was your sequence? They had that at the school?"

This time she shook her head, a bright smile popping up on her face. She scribbled again. /No, it wasn't the sequence, but it was an elective. I picked it up two semesters and never looked back. It's amazing what I can do with fire, glass and my breath. You'll have to come watch sometime./

Taemin took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "You don't have to ask me twice. Will you be working on it tonight?" She nodded.

Storm was taken aback as he tightened his hand on hers and pulled it around the edge of the table. Either she went with him or her belly was rammed into the table. She decided to go with him and the second she did, he dragged her to him. His mouth found hers instantly and he kissed her so hotly that she thought she was going to melt.

His taste was so potent now that she was lost. She couldn't help but kiss him back. They were at the back of the coffee shop so no one would see them unless they came in search of them. They were completely covered. But if they didn't stop, there might be some police charges.

"What in the hell are you doing?"

Taemin opened his eyes and saw Onew and Yi Jeong at the end of the table. He sucked on Storm's lip as he pulled away. Lifting his hands, he ran his thumbs along the edges of her mouth then kissed her mouth gently one last time. She looked at him, and he smiled gently at her.

"That didn't take any time. How long did it take you, hyung?" he asked as he ran one had slowly down Storm's leg.

"I was already on my way here when Storm Noona text me. The question is what are you doing when you have a soon-to-be fiancé?" Onew asked.

Storm turned to look at him then abruptly stood. Yi Jeong already had her bag and coffee. He remembered telling her that his parents were trying to get him to marry, but he didn't realize how shitty he'd feel when it was said with a sober mouth. Obviously she had forgotten as well as she looked at him.

"Noona?" He didn't dare stand because it would bring unwanted attention. As it was they were already getting some curious stares. That could be because of Yi Jeong as well.

Storm looked down at Taemin. He looked upset. She remembered in his drunken haze he had told her that his family was trying to get him married, but she had figured he had already given up on that.

Her abrupt departure had nothing to do with Taemin. It had everything to do with the fact that she had gotten involved with him knowing who he was and what he meant to this country. It would make sense that his family would want a pedigree to marry their nation's sweet prince.

Instead of being angry, she was embarrassed. She was just like Julia Stiles in the _Prince & Me_. She was caught with him and now had to make a decision. But the biggest question that hung between was would he follow his parents' wishes and enter into an engagement with the woman they had chosen? If he did she wasn't sure what she would do.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: My best friend and I bounced ideas off each other tonight for this story. I started to write this chapter then realized I had no idea what I was going to do with it. So we talked the entire time we ate and walked and came up with the remainder of the story. I know what's going to happen now. It might be a little mean of me to do it, but it's how my mind works.

And for those who review, please tell me exactly how you feel about this up until now. I want to know if this is actually working the way I was hoping it would. If not, I'll try my hardest to make it better.

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Storm sat in the studio and wondered what the hell had happened. She had spent the last two days asking herself that question. What had happened that would make her run away from the situation? She had never run from anything that she could control. She could control what she did with Taemin, but she couldn't control how she felt.

Somehow over the last two weeks, Taemin had weaseled his way in and lodged himself in her mind. They texted each other all the time but they hadn't seen each other since Tuesday. She had been locked in the furnace room when Yi Jeong had given the young man supplementary lessons. She had been okay with that because she had still been sensitive about what she had learned.

She didn't want to be the other woman. The other woman had torn her family apart when she had been twelve. Her father had had an affair with her mother's best friend and had lied about it. Her mother had caught them together in her bed one night when they (the kids) had been at their grandmother's. Her father had blamed her – Storm – for the affair and had moved out of the house. Storm knew she wasn't the reason for the affair but she still didn't want to be involved with someone who was supposed to marry another.

But Taemin didn't want to marry another person. He didn't seem like he wanted to be married yet. Traditionally, the Crown Prince married between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-five, and he had an heir within a year of his marriage. He was supposed to keep the family line pure, but he wanted to live his life like he had before his father had ascended the throne. Unfortunately, no one was going to let him unless he outright refused the marriage and said he was already engaged to someone.

If he did that, then Storm would be brought in front of everyone and would be judged. She would fail that because she wouldn't be able to answer any of the questions. Her vocal cords would be as thick as a chopstick as she tried to speak, not that she would because she hadn't uttered a word in two years. Taemin didn't ask why but his family would. And they would find her unsuitable to be in a relationship with him.

She stared at the fire in the furnace and wondered why people had to be so stuck up. Since she had been in Korea she had realized that because of her skin color. It didn't matter that she was classified as Caucasian. Her skin was darker because her great-grandfather had been a dark skinned Pacific Islander and she had gotten some of his pigmentation. People called her black and pretended like she didn't even exist. She hated how some people could be so ignorant.

She didn't want Taemin to go through that. He wasn't like everyone. He seemed to be very well-rounded and open to new things. He didn't care that her skin was darker than his. He liked her for her, but his family would force them apart because of ignorance.

Storm heard the heavy, air tight door to the furnace room squeak open and looked over. Yi Jeong was dressed impeccably as he had been since she had met him. He must have just come from the gallery. Normally if he was in the studio he would be dressed in work gear because it was so hot here now. It would look bad for him to be sweating under his designer clothes.

He stood in the doorway and looked at her. She knew what he saw. The flames danced across her face, casting shadows across her features. Her eyes would be glowing in the darkness. They had always done that when she was sitting in the dark or near a fire. It was something she hated about having light colored eyes.

Yi Jeong hadn't said much since he and Onew had found her and Taemin making out at the coffee shop. He had asked if she was ready to work and had left it alone. She had known that he was going to ask eventually but he had enough tact to let it slide for a few days before attempting to pull the bandage off gently.

He tilted his head as he looked at the temperature gauge on the furnace. She looked at it just to make sure it was steadily climbing like it was supposed to. It was so she looked back at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She smiled at his patience before nodding. "You've been sitting in here for two days straight. Are you working or just letting the heat attack you before you try to work?" She held her index finger up, indicating the first assumption. "Do you want to eat something? It's almost two o'clock and you've been here since before I left at nine."

Storm held up a circled index finger and thumb to say she was okay. Yi Jeong wasn't biting but that was okay. Her brother was still out of town so she really didn't have anyone to talk to. Not that she would talk to Jax because he would have focused solely on the fact that she had had the Crown Prince in their house over night. It wouldn't have done them any good to discuss it.

Yi Jeong stepped into the room and gripped her arm. She looked up at him as he pulled her to her feet. "Come on. You need to eat."

She shook her head and planted her feet. He turned around and looked at her. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and looked at him. He knew she was thinking things through in her own way, but he wished he could read her mind and know what she was thinking.

"Have you talked to him about this?" he asked.

She shook her head again. She hadn't. They hadn't said a word about it in their messages. She didn't know if it was because he didn't want to talk about it or he didn't know what to say about it. She didn't know how to bring it up because she wasn't sure if she wanted to actually see him in an official relationship. It was a hard thing to handle.

Luckily she had told Yi Jeong everything that had happened when he had picked her up at the coffee shop. He hadn't been too judgmental because he really had no way to do so. His wife was a commoner so he couldn't talk down about her thinking of being with Taemin.

But he hadn't talked down about her first night with him. He had obviously seen that she was in a little bit of pain and had let it go. He had told her that if she truly wanted to be with Taemin she had to decide in the beginning because if she told him to walk away, he would. He would go to his new fiancé and she would lose him altogether.

Yi Jeong held out his hand. Storm looked at it briefly before taking it. He pulled her behind him as he headed out of the studio. He grabbed her bag as he tugged her out the front door to his car. He waited until she was situated in the car before he walked around the front of the vehicle and got in.

"Where are we going?" asked a mechanized voice.

The potter turned to see Storm holding her phone with voice activation running. "We're going to Jun Pyo's house. It's where Taemin and his guards are staying while he attends school."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her typing something on the screen. "Who is Jun Pyo?"

"He runs Shinhwa Group."

He didn't get a response so he looked over again. Storm was leaning up against the window almost like she was pouting. She knew his friends were the three richest men in all of Korea. Their combined net worths were far more than even the Crown's. She was walking into the lion's den.

They rode in relative silence except for the radio that droned dully. Storm listened to the music and the rhythm of Yi Jeong's breathing. Both were steady and calming, something she needed right at that moment. Her brain was running haywire as she tried to come up with a way to talk to Taemin.

Her throat was taught as she thought about actually bringing up the subject. She had never wanted to ask someone to stay so badly before. She had no idea why she wanted him to stay. Normally she was so far away from someone she was surprised when anyone ever wanted to spend time with her.

The car slid through an immaculate gate and followed the winding driveway to an awning. Yi Jeong parked under it as Storm looked up in awe at the house. It was so much bigger than she had thought it would be. When he had said that Jun Pyo was rich, she had known he was right but she hadn't realized how big his place was. She felt like an ant in a desert it was that big.

Yi Jeong led the way into the house and walked through it like he owned it. Storm stayed close to him as she followed him through the hallway. He was so friendly to the staff it was amazing he was married.

He opened the double doors to the library and was greeted by a chorus of welcomes. She shadowed him into the room until he stepped aside. She knew she looked less than perfect compared to the others in the room, but she had been working before the potter had dragged her here.

"For those who don't know, this is Storm Montgomery. Sorry for her nastiness. She was working when I dragged her here. Storm, these are my friends Song Woo Bin, Goo Jun Pyo and Yoon Ji Hoo. I've been with them since I was young." He turned and bowed to Taemin. "You know the prince. The others are his guards; Shim Onew, Kim Jonghyun, Lee Key and Lee Minho."

The eight men bowed to her as she was introduced. Storm recognized Onew as the one who picked Taemin up that day. He tilted his head as his mouth parted slightly. She didn't know what he was thinking.

But something caught her eye. There was a woman sitting by Taemin on the chaise. She was clearly well bred by the way she sat. Her back was as straight as her hair and her hands were folded neatly in her lap. She was reminded of _Mulan 2_ as the princesses sang about their hands being folded like holding a lily.

Taemin looked lost when she looked at him. There wasn't much he could say. She understood immediately what was going on.

"Noona," he whispered as he saw the look behind her eyes. She smiled at him then shook her head, almost as if she was waving him off.

"Woo Bin, what's going on?" Yi Jeong asked. He pointed to the woman, unashamed at his rudeness. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Choi Ji Hoon," Woo Bin answered. His voice was stiff and controlled. "She came here to see the prince."

"Why?"

"Because I'm his fiancé," the woman replied.

Storm felt like she had been socked in the gut. Knowing about it and hearing it were two completely things. She had known this was going to happen because he was royalty, but she had never thought she was going to meet the woman face to face like this. She seriously wasn't ready.

Yi Jeong met her gaze as she turned to him. He looked just as torn as she was. Without so much as a noise, Storm turned on her heel and walked out of the library.

Taemin knew that Storm wasn't expecting Ji Hoon to be anywhere near him just yet. Truth be told, the woman had just appeared without warning. She had claimed their families had come to an agreement but Taemin hadn't heard anything about it. His dad would have called him with the news.

The look of hurt on the woman's face struck him hard. He hadn't even seen that when he had told her that he was being set up. He still didn't know what that emotion had been, but it hadn't been this.

The second she turned to leave the room, he was up out of his seat and following her. She was halfway down the hall before he caught up to her. He grabbed her arm and turned her around. She looked up at him with a hurt look before she jerked her hand away.

"Noona, I didn't know she was coming," he said. "She just showed up and I had to talk to her. She's the one my parents chose. I need to at least have the decency to tell her to her face that I'm not interested in her."

Storm knew he was being sensible but her mind wasn't. To her she was already being pawned off for a better brand. She opened her mouth to say something, but her vocal cords tightened and nothing came out. It should have been shocking, but the most shocking thing was she actually wanted to talk. She hadn't uttered a word in two years. Why would she want to now?

Taemin watched Storm hurry down the hallway. She retraced her steps until she disappeared down the hallway completely.

"Onew hyung, follow her. Make sure she gets home safely," he said since he knew his head guard would be directly behind him.

Onew didn't answer as he walked past the prince. He didn't know what the fascination with the artist was, but it was enough to cause the kid's brain to go wonky. He was going to figure out what this woman had done to the normally even-keeled prince who rarely showed what he was feeling.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I wrote this entire thing on my phone so there might be some typos. I'm just too lazy to do the spell check because even though I put the Korean names in the database, it deletes them anyway.

But this weekend has been interesting. My sister came home from college, I went bowling last night and today is my parent's wedding anniversary. It's been eventful, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Now with the holidays coming up quickly, I'll probably be writing more so send me ideas for stories that you would like to see.

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Onew followed Storm for a good long while after she left the house. At first he just thought she was being way too moody until he saw that her hands were actually shaking. He chalked it up to the way she was dressed. He had seen her wear those coveralls at the studio. She had been working before Yi Jeong had brought her to the house.

But the more they walked the more he realized that it wasn't just the cold that was affecting her. Taemin had been upfront and honest about where he had been the night he had stayed out and what had transpired. Onew had already figured that out after finding the two at the coffee shop, but it had been easier to believe it when it came directly from the prince's mouth. The oldest guy of the guard had listened intently and had promised his charge he wouldn't hurt the woman. Yi Jeong had obviously taken care of this end.

Unfortunately being told the guy you were beginning to like was going to get married put a strain on the system. And meeting that person to whom he was pledged was even worse. Onew was surprised the woman wasn't even more upset than she was letting on. He couldn't do anything about the emotions but he could handle the physical aspects.

Shrugging out of his coat, he strode forward and wrapped it around Storm's shoulders. The movement shocked her and she stumbled a bit. Onew gripped her arm tightly as she collides with him. He looked down at her and found her gazing back with a beautiful set of violet eyes circled by a white scar.

"You haven't eaten have you?" he asked. She shook her head. He stood her up straight and took her hand. "Come on. After an ordeal like that, you needed food and alcohol."

She pulled tightly on his hand to keep him from moving. Onew looked back to see a tortured look on her face. Something about food and booze told him it wasn't a good idea. There was something behind hag combination that had affected her.

He stepped back into her personal bubble and pushed a strand of hair back. "All right. How about brunch without the mimosa?"

Storm looked at him then dropped her free hand that was holding his wrist. Onew nodded and turned to walk down the street. She knew he was the oldest guard of Taemin but she didn't know he would be sent to her. She hadn't figured Taemin would come after her because it would look bad to his now fiancé, but she hadn't expected his prickly guard.

She knew that Onew was very protective of Taemin, but she wasn't sure if it was because of his job or if he had known the man before he had become the prince. She wanted to know but wasn't sure if he would tell her. Just by looking at him she couldn't figure out if he was an open book or the monster book from Harry Potter. Would she be able to open it without being bitten or would she have to rub the spine to gain access?

He led her into a warm restaurant and pulled out a chair to the table by the window. She took it and waited until he was across from her. It wasn't only warm because of the heat, but the atmosphere of the place made it warm. Someone had taken time to make sure this place was inviting. When he sat down, she pointed at his phone and immediately he handed it to her.

 _/I thought most of the daily brunch menus were done at eleven?/_

"Most do, but this one is owned by a friend of mine. I can order whatever I like," he said. He opened his phone again, this time to the contacts page. "Give me your number just in case you need anything."

Storm was shocked at him but she did as he asked. She texted herself so she would have his number as well. He waved down a waiter and ordered something simple with coffee and juice.

 _/How long have you been with Taemin/_ she asked as they waited.

Onew tilted his head at the napkin on the table. "I've known Taemin since he was in middle school. My father is his father's best friend. He tossed me in the position when the previous emperor died. What about you? Why don't you talk?"

Her expression shut down momentarily as she shakily reached for the pen. It was such a bad experience she hadn't told anyone even in the written language. He wasn't even sure her brother knew the reason.

He dropped his hand over here before she even had a chance to write he answer. "Don't worry about it. Whatever it was, you're not ready to tell anyone. I'm sorry I asked so soon."

Storm watched him as the waiter brought over their meal. He set their coffees down first followed by their meals. Onew smiled at the waiter with a thank you then looked at her. He was starting to open up. He nodded and they started to eat.

But halfway through Storm felt off. Her tongue felt thick and it hurt to breathe. She dropped her fork and reached for her phone. It took a few seconds to type out the very simple question.

 _/What's in this?/_

Onew looked from the phone to the ingredients ingredient on his plate. "It's eggs, bacon, hash browns and gravy. I think there may be some sausage in the gravy." Her looked at her, noticing her face was slowly starting to mottle. A horrible thought hit him. "Are you allergic to anything in this?"

Her hands shook as she typed something on the screen. His heart dropped at her answer.

 _/The pork. I'm allergic to pork./_ She grabbed her throat as it started to close up _. /I can't breathe./_

Onew didn't waste a moment. "Tae Il!" he called as he slammed his chair back. The cook came from the kitchen. "Call Ji Hoo. Tell him to meet me at the hospital."

Onew swung Storm up into his arms and headed out into the street. The hospital was two blocks away. He could make it on foot. He just hoped Ji Hoo made it there in time. If it was an emergency, the doctor would speed if he had to.

He stumbled into the ER doors just before his knees gave way. A nurse was on him immediately. He couldn't give much more information other than thy had been eating and she had had an allergic reaction. He name dropped Ji Hoo as soon as he could before they carted the woman away.

He was struggling through the patient paperwork when Ji Hoo breezed in followed by Taemin and Woo Bin and Yi Jeong. The potter took the clipboard and filled out the paperwork quickly as the doctor disappeared into the ER.

"Hyung, what happened?" Key asked. He was the middle man out of all of this and the quietest member.

"She ate something she's allergic to and went into anaphylactic shock," Onew replied. "Her throat closed up and she started turning purple."

"I'll go talk to Tae Il," Woo Bin said. He turned and headed back in the direction he came.

It didn't take long for Ji Hoo to return. He was running his hand through his hair as he came back. He stopped to look back at the double doors for a moment.

"How long ago?" he asked.

"Not even ten minutes. Why?" Onew asked.

"Her throat is so swollen it's amazing she didn't stop breathing."

"It could be from her vocal cords," Yi Jeong pointed out. "She hasn't spoken in two years. Wouldn't that account for something? And before you ask, she hasn't said anything about why she doesn't speak. I'm certain it has something to do with that scar though."

"Can we see her?" Taemin asked.

"Let the epinephrine work a little longer then you can. She needs to go home and rest. I don't want her blowing glass unsupervised for a while. I'm certain she hasn't had a reaction like this in a while. I don't know how that will affect her."

Ji Hoo disappeared to do his rounds since he was here. Yi Jeong was on the phone with Jax telling him what was going on. Onew, Key and Taemin sat silently as they waited. One was just here because he had to be, but the other two were wracking their brains to help the woman who had made an impact on them in such a short amount of time.

A nurse came out to tell them they could see Storm. When they filed into the emergency room, she was sitting up as Ji Hoo talked to her.

"Noona!" Taemin rushed to her and took her hands. "Are you okay?"

"She's tired so take it easy," Ji Hoo advised. He put a hand on Storm's shoulder. "You have my number if you need me."

Yi Jeong filled the space the doctor had left. "Are you ready to go home?" She nodded and he put his hand under her arm. But here was a problem. Taemin wasn't letting go. "I'm only going to warn you once. Let go. This is because of you."

"How is this because of me?" The prince looked like a lost puppy as he was blamed for this incident.

Storm gripped Yi Jeong's shirt to get his attention. When he looked down, she shook her head. She didn't want to argue because she didn't know how she was feeling about any of it. There was no need to place blame.

The potter sighed. "All right. Take her to my car while I settle the hospital bill."

Onew wrapped his arms around the woman and helped her slowly walk towards the door. Yi Jeong's car was right out front. He pushed the button and the car honked that it had been unlocked. Key opened the door and Onew helped Storm sit inside.

"I'm so sorry for this," he apologized as he buckled her up. She shook her head as she sat back in the front seat. "What's your address?"

"I know it," Taemin added.

He leaned across her and typed in her address. Before he pulled back he looked at her. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing hard. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek before he stood up.

"Can I go with her?" he asked as Onew shut the door.

"You need to go see Ji Hoon. You need to get to know her," Onew said.

Taemin felt like an petulant child as his temper rose. "I've already told you that I don't want to. This is not the path I want to take."

"We all do things we don't want to do. This is your duty."

The younger man pointed at the car. "She's alone in the house. What if something else happens?"

"You're thinking too much into it," Key scolded.

"Enough." Yi Jeong strode out and took his keys from Onew. "Now is not the time to do this. He's right. She can't be alone but if you argue it won't help."

He looked at the youngest man. "You can't go. You can't be photographed with another woman."

Frustrated, Taemin pressed his nails into his palms. "I'm going."

Yi Jeong looked at Onew. The prince wasn't going to change his mind. The only way to keep from having an outburst was to let him go. He sighed.

"Get in. If you cause a ruckus, I will kick you out. I don't care who you are. Onew, come with us."

The older man sighed and crawled in the backseat with the prince. This was going to end up horribly. How could he tell his friend and charge that he was thinking of actively seeking the same woman as the prince?


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I usually have something profound to say, or a moment that happened to me during the day, or an update for the story. But at the moment I have nothing. There is nothing but a constant ramble in my head that I want to say.

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Storm's head hurt as she woke up. She remembered coming home and going directly to bed but other than that everything else was fuzzy. She didn't know who was in her house or why they were still there, but she wanted to know because she was nosy and didn't want just anyone in her house.

She tossed the covers off and put her feet on the floor. The heated panels had been turned off so all she felt was cold. Immediately she knew it wasn't Jax because he hated cold floors. Curling her toes she walked to her door and pulled it open.

The smell hit her first. Someone was cooking in her house. It definitely wasn't Jax because there was no way he would make it smell that good. He burned everything he touched. So who was it?

Coming around the corner she saw a dark head. Instantly she knew it was Onew. Only two people had dark hair in that group, and she hadn't been around Minho a lot. Taemin had said the Minho was a character, but she hadn't had the privilege of being near him when he was acting like a moron as the prince so casually put it.

"Noona!" Taemin caught her around the waist and kisses her. "Are you okay?"

She pushed away from him and nodded. Onew turned around as she walked up to him. She looked over his shoulder at what he was making. She looked up at him and smiled.

Onew's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the woman. Twelve hours ago he had nearly killed her and yet she still smiled at him. She took the spoon from him and dipped it in the pot. She made a face.

"Is it too salty?" he asked. She nodded and he reached for pepper and another seasoning. "It's porridge. I didn't know what you liked but Ji Hoo hyung said this would be easier for you first."

"And I made coffee," Taemin said happily. He took her hand and led her over to the table. "Sit. Sit."

Storm sat and pulled the notepad to her. _/Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your fiancé?/_

Taemin's voice changed so Onew knew what Storm had written. "I want to choose my wife. As of right now, I don't choose that woman. She's not my type at all."

She believed him but his position was something different. His parents were going to insist on his marriage to Ji Hoon whether he wanted it or not. She was going to have to back down anyway. She might as well start now.

 _/What type of woman do you want?/_

Taemin reached over and took her hand. "Noona, if you have to ask that, then you're not paying attention."

He raised his hand to his mouth and kissed it. His eyes were locked on hers and she could see how sincere he was. But he was the prince of South Korea and he wasn't just a prince. He was the Crown Prince, the next in line for the throne. No one was going to let him marry someone who wasn't a wealthy Korean national or a princess. Storm wasn't either so she was out of luck.

Pulling her hand from him, Storm schooled her emotions as she reached for her coffee. She couldn't deny the fact that every time he touched her, her heart raced so much it pounded in her ears. There was chemistry between them, but in the real world there was no way they could be together.

"Excuse me." Storm sat back as Onew set a tray down on the table. "I added pepper and a little bit of sugar. Eat as much as you can then put the rest in the fridge. As for us, I made bibimbap and used the kimchi in the fridge. Is that okay?" Storm nodded as she dipped her spoon in the bowl.

When the taste exploded across her taste buds, Storm started a little happy dance that involved moving her head and shaking her shoulders. It was so good she couldn't help the reaction. But it caused the two men to laugh. She didn't care really.

"Should I call you Noona or Storm?" Onew asked as he mixed his bibimbap.

Storm took the pen and jotted down her answer. _/When is your birthday?/_

"December 14, 1989."

She shook her head as she answered. _/No. You're older than me by a day./_

Taemin's mouth dropped. "You're the same age as Onew hyung? Daebak. No wonder the two of you act so alike."

"What does that have anything to do with my personality?" Onew demanded.

"You're a really fun guy but you're stubborn. You don't let me do anything fun. And if you do, you and Jonghyun hyung are always there acting like children."

"That has nothing to do with my birthday. You always want to do things you really shouldn't because it could easily ruin your reputation."

"Who cares about my reputation?" Storm raised her hand slightly, and Taemin felt guilty. "Noona, the stuff he's talking about happened when I was in high school. He uses it as a reference when he thinks I'm being too precocious."

"No, you always want to do what we think you shouldn't do."

"What I shouldn't do? Hyung, I don't want to be the heir but because my sister is too young, I have stayed. If it was my choice I would step down out of line of succession in a heartbeat. Also I don't agree with the whole arranged marriage crap. The woman looks stuck up."

"You won't know unless you try talking to her. As far as I know, she's a well-bred decent woman."

"Breeding doesn't make them decent."

Storm listened to the argument and felt horrible about everything. She had met this man while everything was being decided. If she hadn't, he would have gone along with his family's wishes and continued with the engagement.

The thought affected her appetite. She was suddenly full. Setting her spoon down, she got up and carried her bowl to the kitchen. She grabbed the lid and put it on the bowl before putting it in the fridge. She didn't want to say anything to the men so she immediately went to the bathroom.

Onew watched her disappear into the room and shook his head. This was tough for all of them. Taemin wanted to end his engagement for a woman who had no background, Onew wanted to be able to freely date Storm, and the woman was caught in the middle. He didn't know if she liked him as much as she liked Taemin, but he knew he had to try to get her to like him. It would be easier on her if she had him to fall back on when Taemin eventually accepted the engagement.

There was no doubt that he would. Byung Hun, Taemin's father, had threatened him at every angle. If he didn't accept what his father proposed, he would put his sister in the way. Tae Jin was only twelve and still in elementary school. She was nowhere near ready to take on the duties of the Crown Princess. Byung Hun wasn't a bad man; he just wanted his son to follow his footsteps and would do anything possible to make sure he did so. This wasn't in the cards.

Taemin couldn't shake the feeling that something going to happen between now and the time he told his parents he wasn't going to accept Ji Hoon. He desperately wanted to change the arranged marriage law for royalty but couldn't because no one would listen to him. Even if he told them he wasn't going to do it, his father would use Tae Jin against him. That would only work a few times and his father knew it. It was going to take something drastic for Taemin to refuse to come to his sister's rescue.

The doorbell to the apartment rang as they were doing dishes to be helpful. Onew went to the door and flipped on the camera. He sighed and pressed his forehead against the door. This wasn't something that he had ever imagined, but if he didn't open the door, it would cause worse problems.

Ji Hoon looked him right in the eye as soon as the door swung open. "Where is he?" she demanded.

Onew stood in the doorway, blocking her way entirely. "How did you find out he was here?"

"Is that woman here?" She tried to push past Onew but the man stood firm. "Move. This isn't your house."

"It's not yours either. Now, who told you this address?"

"Ji Hoo Oppa told me I'd find Taemin Oppa here. He said that woman lived here and that Taemin Oppa came here after she was in the hospital. I've come to take him to dinner."

"He's already eaten."

"Oppa!" she called over his shoulder.

Onew had never wanted to kill a woman as much as he wanted to kill this one. She was throwing gasoline on an already lightly burning fire. Now she was standing at another person's house egging it on. He wanted to strangle her right in the hallway.

Taemin wondered what the commotion was about and went to investigate. Onew was blocking the door from Ji Hoon as she tried to come inside. Instantly he had no idea what to do. He hadn't expected this at all. He had not thought about her hunting him down in any lifetime. Then the thought hit him that the paparazzi probably had followed her. If he didn't see her, she would spread rumors.

Just as he stepped into the entryway, Storm came out of the bathroom. She had heard the doorbell and had hurriedly finished her shower. She had dressed and tied her hair up so it wouldn't soak the back of her shirt.

She turned the corner and saw Choi Ji Hoon standing in her house. Her throat closed up as reality hit her smack in the face. This beautiful perfect woman had come to search him out, and it was her right. She was engaged to him with the hopes that she would one day be Empress of South Korea.

Onew turned to see Storm standing in the kitchen watching this. Her face may have been stoic but her eyes held turmoil. He turned and went to her, blocking her view of whatever would happen between Taeming and Ji Hoon. He pressed her forehead into his shoulder and stood still.

"You don't have to watch any of this," he whispered.

"Is that her?"

He cringed at the way Ji Hoon's voice went up. He heard her come into the house uninvited. She pulled on his arm, and instead of fighting, he let her pull him away. The women were eye level with each other.

"What the hell are you?" Ji Hoon demanded.

Taemin crossed the room quickly. "Ji Hoon-ah, that's rude. You don't ask someone that. Noona, I'm sorry. She doesn't know how to curb her temper."

"Noona?" The woman raked a sneer across the older one. "You call this mutt of a woman Noona? What did you do? Seduce him?"

Storm stared at the woman. There were many things she wanted to say but they lodged in her throat and refused to come out. Normal women wouldn't let another woman come into her house and talk bad about her, but there was nothing Storm could do. Her voice wasn't going to work even if she demanded it to.

She looked over the woman's head at Taemin. His hands were tied and she could see why. If he confessed to having lost his virginity to her, his reputation would be ruined. Ji Hoon would break the engagement and smear his name in the mud. He would lose the love and respect of his people and her name would be tarnished as well while Ji Hoon would be celebrated as a wronged woman. She would be so much more desirable even though her attitude sucked.

"Are you stupid or something?" Ji Hoon asked when Storm didn't answer. "Do you realize who this is? Did you think that a commoner like you could ever be with a prince? You're not Princess Kate or Cha Eun Sang from _The Heirs_. This isn't a drama. You will never break into this world."

Onew stepped between Storm and Ji Hoon, becoming a buffer to the snarky words that were flowing from the woman's mouth. "And who do you think you are? You weren't born in this world either. If I remember correctly you were the third choice because of the other families' rumors and scandals. I wouldn't be too excited about that."

"At least I have pure Korean blood. This wench looks like she's black, and she's a mute. How in the world would she survive in the palace where discussion is key? She wouldn't. She would be chewed up and spat out all in the same breath."

"So you come into her house to give her a taste of what would happen to her in the palace? Does that make any sense to you?"

Onew noticed Taemin refused to say anything. He would call him a coward if he wasn't so damn protective of his sister. If he outright refused this woman, she would run back to his parents. Then his sister would pay the price by being forced to do something for the crown that was Taemin's responsibility.

But not only did this affect Taemin, but Storm as well. Glancing back, he saw the woman simply watching what was going on. She didn't react, and she didn't cry. She just watched. He wanted to hold her but if he did, Taemin would react in a rampage and ruin everything. This was the one time that he hated being attracted to the same woman as his prince. If Taemin wasn't here, he would have pulled her to him already.

"Taemin, we need to go meet your parents. They want us to have dinner with them," Ji Hoon said.

Taemin winced at her words. She would hang on to that at the last moment to make the most impact. He walked over to the couch and grabbed his jacket. Looking at Storm, he felt instantly sorry for pulling her in the middle of this. He needed to get things situated but before he did, he had to know that he was making the right choice.

Storm watched the two leave her house. Onew turned to look at her but she didn't want to look at him. She turned away from him and went back into her bedroom. Seeing him leave with her hurt worse than being verbally assaulted by the woman.

Steeling herself, she walked back out of her room and handed a note to Onew. _/Will you go with me to the studio? I have some things I want to work on and Ji Hoo Oppa won't let me go alone. Be prepared to be there for a few days./_

"I'll set up a schedule with the others so someone is always with you since I have to be with Taemin most of the time," he said.

She nodded and waited for him to gather his things. When he was ready, she led him from the house.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Okay. So now we get to meat of the story. From here on out will be a complete battle between some of the characters. We'll probably see a new relationship pop up soon and we'll definitely see Storm figuring some things out. These people will be tossed through the waves and hopefully some of them will come out on top.

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" _In recent events we have some news on the Prince Taemin. The Crown Prince was photographed kissing another woman in front of a coffee shop in Gangnam a few weeks ago. As of now, we don't know who the woman is and the palace refuses to comment on whether this is the secret lover of the prince or if she is his fiancé. We will keep you up-to-date on the escapades of the prince and everyone affiliated with him."_

Taemin dropped his head as Jun Pyo flipped off the television. He'd had no idea that a photographer had captured that moment. He hadn't known anyone had followed him on the night he had been drunk. Then again it didn't have to be anyone from the media. Everyone had cameras in which they could take photos and send to the media.

He wondered how Storm was handling this. Her face had been tossed up all over the television and every media site from Seoul to Makpo. And it couldn't come at a worse time. She was getting ready for her first showing and now her face was where people could recognize her.

He looked up at Onew. The head guard was angry. He had been alternating between staying with Taemin and with Storm at the studio as she prepared. If he wasn't there, Jonghyun or Key was. They kept her close just in case. As it was, today Key was at the studio as the news exposed her.

Between the six people gathered, Ji Hoo and Woo Bin looked angrier than Onew. They had done their best to filter any news about Taemin, but this had slipped through their fingers. As it was, Woo Bin was already on the phone with his lawyer seeing what they could do about slander and libel. By the look on his face, there were some things he was considering.

His phone started ringing. He looked down to see Ji Hoon's name emblazoned on the screen. In the last few weeks, he had gone out with her a few times to see if there was anything between them. There really wasn't but he didn't have the tact to get out of his engagement.

She was cold and heartless and did whatever she wanted to whomever she wanted. She had done nothing but badmouth Storm since the day she had met her, and threatened that if he ever cheated, she would wipe the floor with him. Now she was about to get her wish. There was no doubt that she would come out as his fiancé and play the wounded woman to a T. He had no doubt she would verbally attack Storm as well if not physically.

"Do we know who took that photo?" Jun Pyo asked.

"The television station says a bystander took the picture and sent it to the station just in time for their pop culture segment. It is a really good picture of Storm. If she goes through with this showing, she is going to get more publicity for her scandal than her art," Woo Bin answered.

"Can't we get Yi Jeong to hold the showing?" Ji Hoo asked.

The oldest man shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know if he has anyone else lined up. I know the shows are supposed to run for a month at a time, but I'm not sure who he lined up after Storm. We'd have to ask him."

"Is Noona still at the studio?" Taemin asked.

Onew looked at him and shook his head. "No. You can't go to her. It would bring even more unwanted attention to you and her. Everyone in Korea knows you stay here. They will be camping out in front of the house."

The leader didn't want to tell him that he had been getting closer to Storm little by little. When it was his turn to stay at the studio with her, to get her mind of things he would ask her to show him how to make random things. The first time he had made a red piece of glass. He still was sure what it was. A few days ago he had asked her to help him make a pot. So they had sat behind the spinning wheel and had thrown a pot.

She hadn't expressed anything to him directly, but he had known what she had been thinking by the way she had touched his hands while helping him. She had been nervous and very shaky. She had used that shakiness to make the artworks very interesting and one of a kind. He had been given the opportunity to see how she would react when thrown into something she didn't know how to handle.

He had made a lasting connection with her that had fueled his fire to get to know and be with her. He didn't know if she could survive palace life. Ji Hoon had been right. If she didn't talk, she couldn't defend herself. And if she couldn't defend herself, she would be crushed in the mud and no one would be able to help her. Taemin would be ridiculed for marrying such a weak woman when he could have had someone who was strong and who balanced him.

He didn't want to fight Taemin over her, but if the prince left her, he would be there to pick up the pieces. He didn't care that he was second place. If it came down to it and Taemin decided to walk away, Onew would slide into his place and work until the woman was whole again.

Taemin looked at his phone as it rang again and again and again. He wanted to ignore everyone but the woman he had harmed. Storm hadn't known anything when he had come on to her, and he didn't want her hearing everything from anyone but him. He had to go to her.

"Hyung, would you take me to her?" he asked Woo Bin.

The older man crossed his arms and looked at him. "Why should I?"

"I have to see if she's okay. Once people find out who she is and where she works, they will storm her home and her workplace. She will never get a moment's rest. I want to explain all of it before that happens."

Woo Bin stared at him for a long time before he stood. "Stay in the backseat of the car until we get out of the neighborhood. I'll take Key away from the studio while you talk."

Taemin looked at Onew and knew he didn't want him to leave. He had to go so he followed Woo Bin to the garage.

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Storm stared at the computer and watched as the newsfeed scrolled across the screen. Her picture was plastered everywhere but no one knew her name. She didn't know how it had happened. Who had taken the photo of them together? She hadn't seen any photographers recently so she had no idea who had taken the photograph.

Her whole world was starting to come down around her again. Something like this had happened in the past. It was what had caused the scar on her neck and face. She had gotten too involved and had paid the price for it. Her voice was gone and now she was certain she was never going to get it back.

She pushed away from the table, startling Key who was also reading things on his prince. Her vision started to blur as the world began to disappear. She could barely hear her music over the pounding in her ears.

"Oh, hyung!" She heard Key's voice somewhere followed by an answer.

When she was spun around, she came face to face with Taemin. His brown eyes were filled with concern but she didn't believe it. She didn't believe that he would come all the way here with the media on the lookout for him just to talk to her.

She tried to pull away from him, but he latched on to her arm and pulled her back to him. He wasn't going to let her get away from him. She knew he could see her world crumbling and she didn't want to know what he was going to do about it. It would just hurt worse.

Taemin dropped his head and claimed her mouth. She fought against him but he wrapped his arms around her. He wasn't going to let her go. He had left her alone for the last week and this is what had happened. He wasn't about to do it again. He was going to stand beside her as things went on. He was going to take responsibility for his actions, starting now.

His fingers unfastened the straps of the coveralls deftly, shoving them over her shoulders. He followed them with his hands, pushing the material down her back to her hips. He gripped her shirt on the way up, pulling it over her head and tossing it to the floor. He cursed the fact that she was wearing a sports bra but pulled it up and over her head just as she had her shirt.

He gripped her behind the head as he started to drop to his knees. He didn't give her a choice but to go with him. On the way down he paused to rip his coat and shirt off, tossing them in a pile on the floor. He attacked her neck, reveling in the breathy sigh she unleashed on his neck.

Storm gripped his head as he headed southwards. His mouth was hot her skin as he played and nipped at the delicate flesh on her belly. His fingers dug into her hips as he pulled at the clothing lodged there. They slid smoothly down her legs and landed with a thunk across the room. She hoped her phone hadn't broken.

Taemin was so far gone that he didn't realize she was pushing against him until she had pushed him up on his knees. Her violet eyes glowed at him as he unfastened his belt and pants and pushed them down. They hadn't even gotten past his thighs when his head fell back in pleasure. She had taken him in his mouth and was giving him more pleasure than he had ever dreamed she would.

His fingers tangled in her hair as he felt her easy motions. He didn't know what technique she was supposed to be using but whatever one it was, it was wonderful. But after a moment he was ready to blow. He gripped her head and raised it up, claiming her mouth as he pushed her back. He could taste himself on her tongue.

Storm still wasn't ready for him when Taemin situated himself between her legs. He took time to make sure she was okay before pressing in. She was slightly uncomfortable but the discomfort soon ebbed away. She reached up to pull him down, pressing his face into her shoulder.

The first time he had been drunk and uncoordinated, but this time Taemin was in full control. He was able to hold himself up as he moved his hips forward. His mouth never stopped working as he alternated between sucking on her ear and neck.

Storm felt something stir inside her as he sat up and used the leverage to surge forward harder and faster. It wasn't in her lower body. No, it was much higher up. It was in her throat. The ice that had paralyzed her vocal cords was starting to thaw. It felt as if cool water was sliding down the back, coating her esophagus with a cooling stream.

She looked up, meeting Taemin's feverish eyes. This man had done something no one else had been able to do for two years. He hadn't prodded her in any way. He hadn't demanded to know what had happened to make her like this. He had left her alone and left her in peace to deal with what she had dealt with for a long time.

Like he had last time, he leaned down and wrapped his hands above her head. Gently, he kissed the scar on her right eye. Over and over and over, he bathed that old wound with love, and that was the last sliver.

Just as she was tipping over the edge, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his ear. And for the first time in two years she spoke.

"Taemin, I…" She was cut off as her orgasm overtook her and she buried her head in his shoulder.

Taemin was tipped over the edge as he heard her voice. He gritted his teeth as he pulsed inside as he spent himself. His stomach muscles trembled for a few moments even after he was done. As soon as they did, he lifted his head and looked her dead in the eye. His fingers ran through her hair as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

"Did… did you just say my name?" he asked. She bit her lip and nodded. He smiled through his panting and framed her face. "Noona, say it again. Say my name."

Storm opened her mouth but nothing came out. She looked up at him defeated but he was too happy to be downtrodden. He kissed her deeply over and over. By the time he sat up her mouth was sore and tingling.

Taemin slipped free of her and reached for the blanket on the cabinet behind him. He pulled her up and pressed her back into his front as he wrapped the blanket around them. The studio was warm due to the furnace running full force but the floor was cold. He shoved the blanket under them to keep it off their skin.

"I'm sorry, Noona. I don't know how the photo got to the press. Well, I know but I don't know who took it," he apologized. He pressed his nose into her hair. "Ji Hoon is going to make a scene. She's going to leak your name to the press and blame all of this on you. She's also going to say that she's my fiancé and that she's shocked and appalled at this. She's going to rake your name through the mud."

Storm didn't turn to look at him, but she wasn't shaking. "Noona, I'm not going to fight against her. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure none of this hits you. It will be my responsibility."

Finally she turned to him. She looked up at him and her throat worked. Her voice came out shaky and choppy and hoarse. "Taemin… don't fight her." It took too much effort to speak. "I will be fine. I've been through this before, and I'll get through it again. Watch out for your family."

Taemin took her face in his hands. "What are you saying? You don't want to be with me?"

She took his hands and held them between them. "I don't want…to break up your family. Don't fight her."

"What the hell?"

He looked over her shoulder to see Ji Hoon and Onew standing in the doorway of the studio. He looked nervously at Storm. She closed her mouth and pulled her hands away. She sat back on her feet and reached for her clothes. She pulled them on then shoved her feet into her shoes. As soon as she turned around, a hand came across her face.

"You dare sleep with another woman's fiancé?" Ji Hoon demanded. "I was wrong about you. You're not just a mute. You're a whore as well."

Storm looked the woman dead in the face and leaned down just a little to intimidate her. "I was with him first. And I'm not a mute, you bitch."

Onew came into the room and took Storm by the arm. He looked over her shoulder at Taemin. At that moment he didn't care that the prince saw what he was doing. He had just gotten caught being unfaithful in the eyes of the crown and he had to tread lightly on all of it.

"Come on, Storm," he said. She dropped her head and followed him out the door.

Taemin started to get up but Ji Hoon squatted down in front of him. She flicked him in his tender privates and smiled at him. "It looks like she left you."

"She wouldn't if it hadn't been for you. Why can't you go away? You know I don't want you as my wife," he said.

"Simple. I want to be Queen and I will do that in any way possible. Now you will continue on with our engagement and you will leave that woman."

"If I don't?"

"I will smear her name so far in the mud she will never be able to breathe again. It's you or her. Oh! And you don't want her to know about your past endeavors now do you? Because if she did, do you think she will stay with you? Did she know how hurt you were five years ago? Does she know about your hospital stay?"

"You're blackmailing me."

"Of course. How else do you think I was able to talk your father into making me your fiancé? I know everything there is to know about your personal life, things that only your closest friends know. You don't want that getting out as well right?"

Taemin hated this scenario. He hated going on with a ruse, but what he hated more was the fact that he was never going to hear Storm's voice again. Damn be the fact that this woman could easily unleash hell on him. He was more concerned about the woman he actually liked.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I had an interesting day today at work. The kids I work with were way to excited that I was there and they automatically asked if they could listen to KPOP. Of course I obliged. Any time I can listen to my music is a good day for me. It also helped me write this chapter. I didn't have access to a computer so it took longer to hand write than it usually does to type, but here it is.

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Onew lay in the bed with Storm running his fingers through her mass of curls. Essentially he had been ignoring his duties. Not that it mattered. Taemin was spending all his time with Ji Hoon.

Since that night two weeks ago, Storm hadn't said a word. In fact she had barely said more than two words since. She didn't answer questions at all, even with messages. If they wanted an elongated answer, they had to ask Jax. But the teacher was gone on vacation at the moment.

Storm sighed in her sleep and rolled over, pressing her forehead into his neck. Onew hated this. He wouldn't have an issue if Taemin had simply stood his ground like he promised. Onew had nevre known his friend to be wishy washy. He had always been very up front and honest about his feelings. Where had all that gone?

A series of high pitched dings pierced the silence. Onew reached for his phone and opened his message box. It was Jonghyun asking for a shift change to go to the doctor. The leader could be snarky and deny it, but it wasn't Jonghyun's fault all of this had happened. Unfortunately, the other three guys had been pulled into the middle of this feud.

Storm felt Onew shift and adjust her so he could get up. He had been staying with her for two weeks, ever since she had been caught at the studio with Taemin. He had arranged all the schedules so he could meet her at night and go home with her.

He had heard her speak, but hadn't asked her to do so since. He had been extremely patient and proactive. He made dinner every night and packed a lunch every day. He truly took care of her.

As she watched him move around the room, something tickled her emotions. This man was so kind and gentle. He took care of those important to him with such ease she wondered why no one had snatched him up. He was so easy going she wondered if he ever got angry.

Onew turned around after pulling on his shirt and stopped. Storm was watching him with the most open expression he had ever seen from her. Even though she rarely showed anything but gentleness and kindness, he had always known somewhere inside her she felt things deeply. She was an artist after all.

He drew her attention by walking over to the bed. She didn't shift to look up at im but did so when he kneeled down. He ran his hand over her hair as he watched the contentment settle over her face.

"I have to go. Jonghyun has a doctor's appointment he can't miss. I probably won't be back until late tonight. Are you going to the studio?" he asked. She nodded and he knew she would. She had a show to get ready for. ""All right. Text me if you want me to pick you up."

She nodded and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. He trailed his fingers across her face as he stood.

Storm listened to his retreating footsteps and waited until she heard the door close. She wanted to be lazy and take the day off, but in truth her show was two weeks away. She didn't have the luxury.

Rolling out of the bed, she deftly braided her hair and reached for a pair of blue jeans hanging on her desk chair. She knocked Onew's chain belt in the floor. Reaching to pick it up, she realized how much the man had taken over her life. Even Taemin hadn't left clothes scattered around her room.

She had been really surprised when Jax had allowed Onew to stay in the house while he was gone. Her brother was a stickler for propriety and usually balked at guys living with women. But he hadn't minded in this instance. It had almost bee like he had welcomed it.

She finished getting dressed and went to gather the canvas and paints she had taken from the studio. Storing it in the bag, she picked it up as well as her coat and headed to the door. She pulled on her coat as she slipped into her tennis shoes. Finally ready to go, she picked up her stuff and left the house.

Headphones in, she rode the elevator down in silence. The husky voice of B.A.P's Yong Guk sounded in her ears as the group talked about a warrior. It was at times like this she wished the songs talked about her. She wished she could be like this sometimes; strong and a fighter.

Stepping out of the elevator, she saw a commotion outside and the doorman trying to handle it. Not thinking anything of it, she walked outside.

Immediately she was swamped. Reporters and photographers and cameramen were in her face asking questions. They were pushing and shoving to get to her. They all wanted to know the same thing.

What was her relationship to Crown Prince Taemin?

They surged forward at the same time security descended on them. In the middle of it, one of the security guards took her by the arm and slung her out of the fray. By doing so, she hit the sidewalk and the bag and concrete caught her in the face.

"Miss Montgomery, are you all right?" the doorman asked as he helped her to her feet. He hissed as he saw her face. "Is there someone I should call?"

Storm was about to hand him her phone when someone started shoving everyone out of the way. Woo Bin made his way to her. He took one look and turned on the media.

"Get out of here before I slap a lawsuit on all of you," he ordered. He didn't budge until every last one of them was gone then he turned to them. "Sir, is there anything I should do?"

The doorman shook his head. "No. No damage was done to the building. But you should get Miss Montgomery's face checked out."

Woo Bin looked down at Storm as she sat on the sidewalk and opened her bag. Immediately she shoved it away, angry tears pooling in her eyes. Concerned he held out his hand. When she took it, he pulled her up and took the straps to the bag the doorman handed him.

Storm sat in the front seat of the car and watched as the traffic went by. She was upset and her face stung to the heavens. She didn't want to know who had done this even though she had an idea.

Woo Bin pulled up to the studio and let out a slight curse. He knew the car parked beside Yi Jeong's. he looked at Storm to judge her reaction. She didn't say anything as she opened the door.

Storm walked into the studio trying to ignore the pain in her hand and face. As soon as she pulled the door open, she regretted it. There were three people in the studio, and one she didn't want to see particularly.

"What the hell happened?" Yi Jeong asked as she walked by.

Taemin turned and dropped the brush in his hand. Storm's face was scratched and bruising with blood running towards her chin. He didn't know what to do. His brain short circuited and he didn't know what to do.

"Storm what happened?" the potter asked as he opened the first aid kit.

"She was attacked by the media," Woo Bin said. He set the bag on the table and opened it. "They destroyed this. No wonder she was mad."

Yi Jeong pulled out a Wet One and unwrapped it. He took her face gently. "Let me see." He turned it to clean the worst one on her temple. "Did they hit you?"

Storm shook her head as he dabbed at the wounds. She barely met Taemin's gaze before wincing at the sting of alcohol. She didn't want to point fingers at anyone even though she was fairly certain she knew who'd done this.

Taemin shouldn't have been shocked by her silence, but he was. She looked so small and lost by the blank expression in her eyes. He wanted to go to her desperately. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her until she talked again. But he knew she wasn't going to accept him, not after what he'd done two weeks ago.

Yi Jeong looked up sharply when Storm jerked her hand away. All he wanted to do was clean the scraps along her knuckles. She refused to look at him as she held it securely at her side. He looked over her head at Woo Bin. She was injured more than she was letting on.

So instead he got up to check on the piece of destroyed work. When he pulled the canvas out, he nearly let out a sob. The village piece she had worked so hard on was in shambles. There was no saving it. They were going to have to rearrange the entire show. That meant more work for both of them.

He looked back at Storm. She was looking at nothing in particular. Just for a moment he wished she would speak to them, tell them how she felt instead of stewing in silence.

"Noona," Taemin tried. She didn't look at him but he had her attention by the ways she turned her head. "You should get your hand checked out. It could be broken."

She shook her head and got up to go into the furnace room. Knowing if she shut the door she wouldn't come out, Taemin got up and grabbed her hand. She let out a cry of pain and he looked down.

He could see the bruising under her caramel skin. There were skid marks on her wrist where she had fallen on the concrete. But he could feel one of her bones shift as he moved his fingers across her skin.

She tugged on her hand, begging him to let go. He ached watching the desperate look in her eyes. Slowly he dropped his hand and watched as she retreated from him.

Just as Woo Bin crossed the room to Storm, Ji Hoon came through the door. She took one look around the room before cold rage settled over her. She stormed across the small space until she was almost face to face with the other woman. Woo Bin turned until his six foot frame was between them.

"I told you to stay away from him," she scolded in her haughtiest voice. "Did you think I wouldn't know when you came to see him?"

"She didn't come here to see me, Ji Hoon," Taemin said. "She's here to work."

"Why are you hiding? You had so much to say when I caught you whoring around with him. Where did that spirit go?"

Woo Bin caught her arm as she tried to go around him. "You better stop running that ugly mouth of yours before I sue your entire family for everything they're worth."

Ji Hoon scowled up at him, an impressive feat since Woo Bin was so much taller than her. "Who the hell are you?"

"They're F4's Song Woo Bin and So Yi Jeong," Ji Hoo said from behind her. Taemin turned to see Jun Pyo flanking him. "It won't just be Woo Bin you have to worry about. Last time I checked the majority of your father's stock is owned by Shinhwa Group. Meet the CEO."

Jun Pyo left his spot by Ji Hoo and crossed the room. Woo Bin stepped aside and the CEO took the woman's damaged hand. She didn't pull away from him, but she did flinch and refused to look at him. He looked down and instantly felt sorry because of the one look on her face.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She didn't answer him, which was enough. He scratched his head with his friend hand. "Taemin, get her out of here."

The prince didn't argue as he took Ji Hoon's hand and started for the door. Key fell into step with him, bypassing him not too long after. Taemin glanced back as he passed the door before leaving.

Storm pulled her hand from Jun Pyo's and sat down hard in the floor. Warmth from the furnace seeped into her back but didn't ease her shaking. She heard Woo Bin explaining what had happened, but didn't hear all the details, nor did she want to.

She looked up to see Ji Hoo sit in front of her, his knees gently bumping into hers. He gently took her hand and turned it from side to side. Then he pressed into it with his fingers. She bit back a gasp as he pressed into her index finger then rolled his thumb from side to side. He looked up then reached for his bag. Slowly he started wrapping her hand.

"You have a hairline fraction," he said. "You might not be able to grip the tube for a while. Do you have all of your glass finished?" She nodded and pulled her hand back into her lap. "How much do you have left to do?"

"We have to come up with a whole new center piece. The press effectively destroyed this one," Yi Jeong said tossing the broken pieces back on the table. "We're trying to give people an adequate description of her hometown, but now I don't know what we can do."

"You can make it about the things she feels."

"That's been done before. Storm's best feature is the glass blowing."

Ji Hoo sighed. "I don't know what else to tell you. You're the artist. You know how to work that angle." He turned back to Storm. "Do you want me to take you home?"

She shook her head and stood up. The four men watched her walk between her works. Yi Jeong knew what she was going to do before she did it. He didn't make it to her in time before she swiped her good hand across the colored glass. They crashed to the floor and splintered into a thousand pieces each. Yi Jeong had to duck as she chucked a vase across the room with blinding speed. Even Woo Bin had a hard time getting out of the way before it shattered by his head.

Without warning, Storm grabbed her coat and started for the door. Woo Bin tried to grab her but she shoved him away from her. He stared at her as she looked at him with teary eyes. Immediately she turned around and headed out the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: This is the third to last chapter. It's wrapped up a lot better than I thought it would. The characters have actually worked with me like I wanted them to. Although I didn't expect something in this chapter.

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Storm sat at the table and stared at the grain work in the wood. She could see her hand out of the corner of her eye and that made it even worse. She had broken her hand and now she couldn't blow glass. In a fit of rage, she had broken the majority of her pieces, not that she regretted it.

Seeing Taemin had only fueled her hatred for herself. She couldn't talk. She didn't have the ability to do so now that he had walked away for the second time. She wished she would have held on to him the first time, and she had just had the ability to do so just then, but she'd let it go by.

But she hadn't made any promises. Taemin had been the one to open his mouth and spout nonsense he knew he couldn't keep. She was certain he hadn't fought for anything in his life except for his sister. He didn't know what it meant to have someone he cared for so deeply that everything else was a moot point.

Something niggled at the back of her mind. She remembered hearing something when the news broke that Taemin was engaged. Someone said on one of the many news stations that something had happened five years ago to the prince. No one knew what it was so they had only speculated.

She hadn't gotten the guts to ask the man what it was but she was certain it would bring something out in him she didn't want to see. Everyone had a past, including her. She hadn't told him about what made her stop talking, but she was certain he would never see her the same way again. It was why she hadn't brought it up. What if bringing it up to him meant he was going to go down a completely different road?

She sighed and dropped her head to her outstretched arm as she watched people pass by the window. It had started snowing not too long ago and it was still going steady. If the weather had been correct, they would have a thin layer on the ground by morning.

She hadn't seen snow ever until she had moved to South Korea. It didn't snow much in Hawaii. She had to go to higher elevation to see it. It was why she loved spending so much time in the furnace room. It was a little warmer than the temperature she was used to since the furnace burned so hot, but it was comfortable.

"I'm glad I found you."

Storm lifted her head and looked at Onew. Peace settled over her as he sat down and took her healthy hand. He took the other and kissed it gently. She settled against the window and watched him.

Onew settled as soon as he found Storm at Tae Il's restaurant. Actually Tae Il had called him to let him know she was there. He had gotten a call two hours earlier from Yi Jeong that the press had found and accidently hurt her. Then she had seen Taemin while she was being patched up only to be followed by a bout with Ji Hoon. She had finally destroyed her entire glass pieces that she was going to display.

He had been crazy as he had searched for her. He had texted her but she hadn't replied. It had told him that she hadn't wanted to be found. She had her own way of coping with things, not that he approved of her method. Normal people talked about their feelings with people they cared about.

He had been halfway across town when Tae Il had called him. He had taken a u-turn and had come to his friend's restaurant. The relief that had washed over him when he had seen her sitting at the table was palpable. He was sure he could eat it if he so desired, not that he wanted to since it would weigh against his heart again.

"Woo Bin hyung took care of the press. They shouldn't be bothering you anymore," he said. She nodded and watched him again. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Storm pulled her good hand back and reached for her phone. She saw that he had called and texted her fifteen times. She kind of felt bad, but she had needed the alone time. She pulled up her messages and typed in something. She slid it across the table not long after.

 _/What happened to Taemin five years ago? I heard on the news that his family was hiding a secret about him. Do you know what that is?/_

Onew nodded. "Tae Jin was being stalked when she was in primary school. Taemin snuck out one day and followed her to and from school. He jumped the person who was after his sister. In the process of sending her away, he was smashed in the back of the head and knocked out. When he came to, he was naked and chained to a wall. He wasn't raped or anything, but one of the guys did suck his dick and he got off on it. Ever since then, he's refused to be with any woman though I'm not certain he's ever been attracted to anyone like this before."

Storm stared at him for a long while. She finally understood why he was so worried when he was with her. He hadn't wanted her to find out that his body had had a natural reaction to someone who wasn't of the opposite sex.

She pulled her phone back and typed as fast as her fingers would let her _. /Ji Hoon knows that. That's why Taemin is doing whatever she wants. He doesn't want that to get out. What will the people think of their Crown Prince who got off on an accidental gay tryst?/_

Onew stared at the screen. There was no way Choi Ji Hoon would know that. The palace had covered that up and tossed it into the sea of forgetfulness. No one spoke about it. That could be why his family was so adamant about him marrying a well-to-do person. They didn't want the world to think that he was in any way deformed.

He looked up into her gaze. "Do you want me to take you to him?"

Storm understood the hurt in his eyes as soon as she saw it. She took her phone back and typed again. She knew what he was feeling all too well.

 _/Onew, thank you for being with me during this, but I understand Taemin all too well. Two years ago I was dating a guy who tried his hardest to get what he wanted. At every turn he did his best to get me into bed. One night we were at a bar and he was drunk and trying to feel me up. I got mad and stormed out. He followed me and we got into a fight. I told him to take me home. I should have driven but I didn't. In the end we had a wreck. I went through the windshield giving me all these scars. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. I spent two hours screaming for help while he bled out on the side of the road. After that I never spoke again./_

Onew lifted his head from the phone. "You didn't love him, and yet you screamed for him?"

 _/If Taemin were bleeding out on the side of the road, you would be too. It's taken me two years to get over it. After screaming for so long, my vocal cords were so swollen I couldn't speak. But after several days, it felt like ice had settled over them. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't talk. Jax ran with it and became my voice, but it didn't endear me to anyone after that. But I had my art so I didn't mind too much./_

"Did you think of telling anyone else this?" She shook her head as she blinked slowly. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I don't compare to that. I was just going to let you come to me naturally."

Storm typed on her phone again, but this time when she set it between them, she framed his face in her good hand. He looked down at the phone to see what was going on.

 _/Onew, I like you. There's nothing about you that isn't kind and sweet, and you're so protective. It makes it easy to be with you./_

Much to his amazement she leaned forward and kissed him before he even had a chance to finish reading the message. He moved his mouth against hers in a gentle kiss that didn't cease to amaze him. After a moment, she pulled back. He looked down at the phone again.

 _/Now that I know about him, I want to make sure that it's not just a fling I have had with him or with you now. I'm torn between the two of you, and it's slowly killing me./_

Onew smiled and closed his eyes. Gently he pushed her hand back to the table and folded his in his lap. "I know you're honest. You don't say anything without there being some sort of emotion behind it. I haven't denied that I like you, and I know you like me. But you don't love me like you do Taemin. If you did, you wouldn't have destroyed the glass you made. You would have just walked away and come to me without any regrets. So don't choose between the two of us. As of right now, I will respectfully bow out and help the two of you to be together."

Storm smiled at him and pulled her phone to her. She felt good now that she knew where they stood. Since the whole thing at the studio, they had gotten close and she had wondered what would happen if she actually decided to be with Onew. Now that he could tell something even she hadn't been able to see it meant he really was looking out for her.

Onew stood and held out his hand. She took it and he led her from the building. He unlocked his car and walked around as she got in the front seat. They listened to music as he drove to the ritzy side of town. Suddenly she was nervous. She was actually seeking Taemin out when she had been told to ignore him and leave him alone. No one had ever told her what to do and she wasn't about to start letting someone now.

Taemin was standing in his bedroom when the doors flew open. Expecting Ji Hoon, he turned around to snap at her. The woman hadn't given him a moment's reprieve since she had threatened to blackmail him. She called and texted him so many times it was amazing his phone didn't explode.

But it wasn't Ji Hoon standing in his room. It was the one person he had ached to see for the last two weeks. He stood his ground as she came towards him. If he moved in any uncertain terms, she was going to be a flight risk. Then he would have to chase her down.

As soon as she was close enough, she grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him forward. She pulled his head down and kissed him. He tasted the dried blood on her lips but it was solely Storm. Even when Ji Hoon forced him to kiss her, it wasn't the same. There wasn't the same taste. It wasn't the same.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as he deepened the kiss. His body was reacting, his blood burning through his veins and dropping to his slowly growing erection.

He pulled back quickly. "I can't."

Storm pulled her phone out and handed it to him. She already had a message ready. _/Onew told me what happened five years ago. Whatever Ji Hoon has on you won't bother me./_

A huge weight suddenly lifted from his chest. That had been the one thing he had been worried about. It had been a deciding factor for him when he thought about asking a girl out. He had known that as soon as he told her about her dirty little secret, she would have left him and would have told everyone she knew. His reputation would have been smeared through the mud a long time ago.

Gently he took her face in his hands and rained kisses on all the wounds she had sustained due to him. He kissed around the scar already visible on her eye. Once again she had surprised him.

"Do you think it was Ji Hoon who called the press about you?" he asked between lavishing tenderness. She nodded. "I don't know how I'm going to deal with her."

Between them, he heard a motorized voice. _/I know how we can, but it will have to wait until next week./_

Taemin pulled back and let his hands settle on her shoulders. "Are you saying I can't see you for a week?" Sadly she nodded. "All right. I'll trust you like you've trusted me."

Storm looked up at him before she pushed him into the chair. He grunted in shock as she reached for his belt and buttons. She eased him out of his pants and slowly took him into her mouth. He gripped the table as he tried to keep his hips in place. Two weeks it had been, but his body had felt like it had been forever. It reacted instantly. He felt the heaviness all the way down in his hips.

He wanted to cry. Not because it felt so good even though it did, but because she had forgiven him for being a complete ass. He should have stood beside her, but because he had been afraid, he had pushed her away. Onew had been right. He shouldn't have cared what anyone had said about this.

He came with a grunt, then felt instantly horrible because she gagged around him. His heart hammered as he watched her choke it down. She looked up at him then down at the floor with a gentle smile. At that moment he hated her almost as much as he loved her.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: For some reason all my epic showdowns in every story happen at a gala, an art show or in a restaurant. I don't know why. This one was planned though so I knew it was going to happen like this. It may not be what you like but at least it's in keeping with my story standards.

Also I have already started planning my next story. It will not take place in the Boys over Flowers world. Instead I am writing a sequel to Music and Lyrics. It will have the main characters from You're Beautiful plus B.A.P as the main main characters. I've been listening to B.A.P for the last week and a half so I decided to write one.

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Yi Jeong walked into the studio and stopped. The scene was like one in a romantic drama. The house lights were off leaving the staging lights only ones burning. In the center were an easel, canvas, and the woman behind them.

Storm sat in the floor with pieces of glass and a bucket of glue. She looked like a heroine in the aforementioned movie as she dipped a brush in the bucket then smeared its contents on the glass. She pressed the piece of glass to the canvas and reached for another.

Yi Jeong was glad he'd saved the shattered pieces of glass. After her tirade because of a broken heart, she had destroyed every piece of glassware she had made for her show. But four days ago she had come in and grabbed an easel and canvas and had started working.

For the last seventy-six hours she had been locked in the studio working on this. He didn't think she had even slept since she had begun this project. Every time he was here, so was she. When he locked up at night, she was still there. He wondered if she even ate sometimes.

Luckily for her, he came bearing gifts. He set a cup of coffee down on the floor beside her along with a muffin. She didn't pay him any attention so he ripped off a piece and hand fed her. He laughed when she turned her head and accepted it. So she knew he was there; she was just choosing to ignore him.

He watched her happily. The picture was turning out better than he thought. When she had explained what she had wanted to do with the fragments, he had thought she was out of her mind. He hadn't even managed to make something out of broken glass, not that he had tried. But she had gotten to work on it and it was actually turning out really well.

He couldn't see the pencil etchings she had used to draw out the picture first. The glue covered it up completely and showed off the pristineness of the glass. The colors matched surprisingly well. He could actually see the picture very well.

"Are you going to leave it like this or put another finish over the top?" he asked as he leaned against her. She held two fingers up to signify the second option. "What are you going to use?" She tapped the can of rubber cement by her. "What will that do? Last I heard it just covers the glass and makes it rough."

She sighed and picked up her phone. He heard the voice of Siri talking to him. _/The rubber cement fills in the extra spaces. I'm going to cover it with a light sheen of clear coat. It will tie it all together./_

"Will it all be dried in two days? I don't want to put up a piece that is still wet. People will want to touch it."

 _/It'll be dry. Now leave me alone so I can finish it./_

Yi Jeong wasn't going to leave her alone completely. She was definitely going to stay up until she finished it. He wasn't going to let her stay here alone again. But everyone was getting ready for the show and Christmas midterms. No one was available.

He sat beside her and worked on his own pot. He thought about what had happened in the last three months. Taemin had come to live with them, had met Storm and had fallen for her, had gotten engaged and had nearly lost his head when his fiancé had attacked the woman. Now he was planning to break his engagement. Yi Jeong didn't know the entire story but he knew it was going to cause a shit storm with the press.

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It was a full-fledged, star-studded event. Yi Jeong had spared no expense setting up her showing. He had rolled out the red carpet, ordered the best food and drink, and had paid handsomely for valet parking.

But the crowning glory had been the immediate shopping spree he had sent Storm on. Accompanied by Woo Bin who had been nagging her since the day before, Storm had picked out a navy blue, floor length dress. She had been carted to the hair dresser to tame her mass of curls that she hadn't spent any time on in the last few days. She was also given a manicure that she was certain would be gone by the next week. They had wanted her to pick out a pair of incredibly high heels, but she had refused. She could barely walk flat footed and they wanted her to shuffle in heels. She would kill herself in the process.

She looked up from the chair into her brother's gaze. Jax had finally come back after taking some time off to return to Hawaii to take care of their mother. When he had gone home on holiday, he had found out she had been in the hospital so he had asked for some leave. He had returned that morning at Incheon. She had picked him up and they had spent the entire day together.

He was her escort for the night. His tie matched her dress. He seemed really pleased that she was about to become what she had dreamed of. But he didn't know the whole details that had led to this. If he did, he would have already put his fist in Taemin's face. He would have gone to jail for it too.

He held out his hand and escorted her from the waiting room. Yi Jeong waited at the entrance to the gallery. He had done everything for her and she couldn't thank him enough. She took his hand as she came to him.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded and he led the way out. He garnered everyone's attention and made a dashing introduction. He was so fluid with the way he spoke it was amazing he didn't have everyone doing what he wanted a matter of minutes after speaking.

After the introduction, she was swamped by people as they asked for her reasoning behind some of her art. She couldn't say anything to it because the main piece hadn't been unveiled yet. They were still waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive.

The wait wasn't too long. Someone called the royal call for when the royal family went anywhere. Everyone split into three main groups. The guests were on the right and the left while the members of F4 and the twins were standing at the end of the red carpet.

"May I present their Royal Majesties Emperor Jeon Byung Hun and Empress Lee Hee Jin, his Royal Highness the Crown Prince Jeon Taemin with his fiancé Lady Choi Ji Hoon and her Royal Highness Princess Tae Jin," the royal announcer said. He bowed and backtracked into the crowd.

Storm grabbed Yi Jeong by the arm and glared at him. She had no idea that Taemin would be bringing Ji Hoon with him. As far as she had known, he had broken off the engagement with her.

But Yi Jeong had a secret that he had only shared with the F4 members and the four Guards of Taemin. Only those eight knew what had transpired to bring the engaged couple to this event. Tonight was going to be the night that Miss Choi Ji Hoon was forever run from their sights.

The Emperor looked around at the vast amounts of artwork. He marveled at the pottery and paintings and string work and everything else Storm had made. He looked at the group ahead of him and all six bowed.

"This is amazing," he said. There was a light in his eyes that said he was speaking the truth. "All of this was made by one woman?"

Yi Jeong nodded. "Yes sir. This woman," he pushed Storm forward just a little, "created all of this. This is her showing."

Byung Hun smiled at Storm. "You have amazing talent, young lady. Please tell me your age?"

Storm opened her mouth just as a moment of panic flashed across Taemin's face. She hadn't spoken in weeks and wasn't confident she could. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth as she swallowed hard.

But once again F4 was to the rescue. Woo Bin took her arm and pulled her to the side as Yi Jeong backed up to the one covered piece in the middle of the gallery. Ji Hoo stood on the other side of the cloth covered work and gripped the maroon fabric.

"Before you bombard my artist with a bunch of questions, why don't you look at the final piece that I will be putting up for auction after this showing," Yi Jeong said. He nodded to Ji Hoo, and they ripped the cloth off.

Taemin's face fell from panic to shock. Onew had told him that she had broken every piece of glass she had created after the last altercation with Ji Hoon. What his guard hadn't said was that the shards had been saved.

The Emperor stepped forward just as Woo Bin braced Storm to keep her from falling over. Byung Hun reached out his hand and ran his fingers gently over the glass. There was a slight tear in his eye as he traced the contours of the artwork. He turned to Storm. She gripped Woo Bin's hand on her hip to keep from passing out.

"This is my son. You recreated my son," he said. He shook his head in disbelief. "How could you do this without having met him?"

Storm looked at the mosaic. She had remembered Taemin's sharp features the night she had brought him into her house when he had been drunk. She had committed his sleeping face to memory and recreated them with glass. His lilac hair was mussed as he lay on a pillow of white. His eyelashes were two half-moons on his cheeks and his mouth was partially opened. He looked peaceful, something she hadn't seen since he had been promised to Ji Hoon.

She looked back at the royal family and did her best not to lose what little control she had on her emotions. Beside her Jax started to open his mouth, but she glanced at him briefly. Her gave her a curious look but didn't speak.

"I have met your son," she said. Though her words were slightly slurred, they were louder than she thought they would be. She saw her brother's mouth fall open so she hurried on before she lost her nerve. "Taemin has done everything he could for me, and this was the only way I could thank him."

Her throat raw she closed her mouth and shrank back to Woo Bin's side. Jax took her bandaged hand and squeezed it gently. That's all he had to do for her to know that he was proud.

Byung Hun turned to his son. "Taemin, do you know this woman?"

Ji Hoon took his arm in a harpy's grip that had him wincing. He wasn't going to hide anymore. Slipping his arm free of her hold, Taemin strode forward and beckoned Storm to him. He was still the prince and he had a little bit of decorum he needed to follow. He held back a laugh when Woo Bin nudged her rough enough that she went forward, but nonetheless she came to him.

He tilted his head as he smiled at her. He took her face in his hands, thumbs running over the scars she'd had and the ones she had gotten from knowing him. Very gently he kissed each one of them, ignoring the snapping of cameras around them. He pulled back far enough to dip his head and kiss her on the lips. This time he was going to be the one to announce to the press who she was.

"Dad, Mom," he said as he turned around, his hand slipping down his side to take Storm's, "this is Storm Montgomery. She's Hawaiian with Pacific Islander mixed in. She's quiet, charming, intelligent, and the woman I am completely in love with. I hereby request the dissolution of my engagement. I am prepared to take on full responsibility of doing so."

There was a murmur around the room. It was unheard of for a Crown Prince to ask for a dissolution of an engagement contract. Normally they just went with it or married someone else in secret. But Taemin didn't want to be secretive. He hadn't intended to be at all, but his parents had sped up his engagement.

Byung Hun looked at the woman at his son's side and the one he had left in the middle of their family. He looked back at the glass picture of his son. One was loving and gentle while the other was seething and vindictive. He didn't have to ask which one he and his wife would rather have at their son's side.

"Taemin, was this the woman in the photographs on the news?" he asked.

His son nodded. "Yes, sir. That picture was taken the morning after I spent the night with her." He waited until the murmuring had settled down. "I didn't know it had been leaked until I saw it on the news a few days later. I never intended to hide her, but you sped everything up that I never had the chance to tell you. Dad, she knows everything."

Byung Hun knew that it took an impressive woman for his son to be comfortable to tell that horrendous secret. He looked at Storm and strode forward. Taking her face in his hands, he searched her eyes. She hadn't said a word since her initial speech and he guessed there was a real reason. Leaning forward he kissed her forehead.

"Even a scarred face and past can bring forth a beautiful spirit. Take care of my son," he said.

Behind him Ji Hoon screeched in anger. Onew and Jonghyun jumped forward and grabbed her by both arms. Because they were a little taller than her, they pulled her off her feet. She looked she was riding a bicycle as she kicked her legs to be freed.

"You choose her over me? You choose a mute half breed over a pure blooded Korean. I should have just told the press your dirty little secret. Everyone should know their precious Crown Prince got off by a man!" she yelled.

"If anyone of you print that in the morning papers, make sure you follow it up with the first fiancé of the prince was the daughter of convicted prostitute and a member of Sun Sol Hee gang," Woo Bin said. Silence settled over the group. "You want to start pointing fingers go ahead. I learned long ago that ignoring your past meant you wanted to ignore who you are."

"I never hid who I was!"

"No, but you never came out and said it either. You were asked if you had any unsavory people in your past and you answered no," Ji Hoo said. "I spoke to the matchmaker. She said all of your application was a lie. The only thing correct on there was your birthday."

"And," Jun Pyo continued. Every head turned to him. "I did a full background search on Storm and Jax. Their surname is actually Walakeia. They changed to their mother's maiden name when their parents' divorced. The Walakeia's are descended from a very high and very prestigious group of rulers of the Pacific Islands. Their bloodline is purer than most of ours. So if you're about to argue that she's a half-blood, you might want to do your research a little better. In society, Storm would considerably outrank you."

"Enough," Storm said when everyone was bantering back and forth.

She released Taemin's hand and stepped away from him. Key and Minho stepped slightly in front of her as she stopped in front of Ji Hoon. There was no anger in her eyes. There was no pity or hatred or anything mean. After all this woman had done, the older woman felt nothing towards, and the three simple words she said confounded everyone gathered.

"I forgive you."

Taemin stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her neck as his father ordered the embarrassed woman out of the party.

When everything had settled and people were talking casually again, Taemin pulled Storm off to the side. She was flushed and breathing a little heavily. He brushed his fingers under her eyes to wipe away the relieved tears that were pooling under her eyelashes.

"It's okay, Noona, you don't have to cry." He laughed when she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his around her tiny waist and held her close. "I understand. And don't feel pressured to talk. I know it's going to take some time to get to a point where you feel comfortable."

Storm never felt more grateful in her life but there was one more thing they had to get through first before they could truly be in the clear.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Final chapter! I honestly didn't think I would finish this tonight but the final chapter kept running around in my head. I hate when it does that because then I have to write to get it out and be fine.

This comes after a very hard day. It was so bad that I lost myself in a story and started planning another. All the while I am reading a book I might add. I have to change areas all the time so I can keep my mind fresh and sharp. So like usual give me ideas for another story after the B.A.P one. I'm all game because I know I can always come up with something really fun if I want to.

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Taemin rolled over and nuzzled his face in the back of Storm's neck. He was way too happy, had been for the last year or so.

After his father had basically given them his blessing, the Crown had pressed charges on the Choi family for failure to give truthful information. Choi Min Ki had been put in prison while his daughter had lost her job and hadn't gained a new one since. She had come crawling to the palace to beg Taemin for help but he had refused to see her.

Song Construction had finished the new palace and the royal family had moved immediately. Taemin had looked at his suite of rooms and thought they were the perfect size for him and his bride to be. But Storm hadn't wanted to live in the palace. She would have rather have had an apartment overlooking the Han River instead of living in a stuffy palace. Not that she had said any of that to him per se. She had typed it on her phone.

Speaking of speaking, she had started going to vocal therapy to get her to open up and talk more. Taemin had found out the reason she had quit talking in the first place. Much like his, her trauma had caused her to withdraw from something so easy. She hadn't told him because she had considered his trauma more important. It had spoken to him on many levels.

Even though he had school and state functions, he had made a point to go to every therapy session she had. She hadn't said too much, preferring to write it down because she still wasn't too excited to talk to someone she didn't know. He had found out more about her in those sessions than he had talking to her outright.

He had learned so much just by living with her on a day to day basis. She was very tidy whereas he was not. He was way too used to having a maid do his work for him. She loved to cook and she could make his favorite kimchi stew from memory. Sometimes it was hit or miss on whether or not it was bland, but she was amazing for trying no matter how it turned out.

Since she had refused to live in the palace, Taemin had taken drastic measures. He had bought a penthouse in one of Woo Bin's buildings. They had a private entrance and everything. He had even converted one of the rooms into an art room so she would be able to bring some of her work home or start a piece at the house. He had had the bathroom decorated in the Hawaiian feel so she would think she was at home.

He had gone so crazy with things that he had forgotten to ask her what she liked. But when she had gone to the house for the first time, she had walked around in awe. She had liked it even if she hadn't said so. The first thing she had done was hang a painting he had won at an auction above the huge fireplace.

It had taken a little longer to get her moved in. She had drug her feet on that one for a while. She had made sure to talk to his parents before she had done anything. His father had been very impressed even with her limited verbal skills. She had talked for a minimum of ten minutes then had resulted to typing everything on the tablet. She had been respectful and honest with him, and that had endeared the Emperor to her.

Only then did she agree to move in with him. She was postponing marriage until he finished school in the next two years. He had agreed but with one stipulation.

He sighed into her hair again. The strands tickled his nose as the separated then settled again. He pulled her to him then took her left hand in his. He balanced her small hand on his so he could see the glint of the silver, leaf engraved ring resting on her finger. The only way he was going to let her prolong their engagement was if she wore a couple ring with him. He couldn't count how many days he got stopped on his way to class by people asking if he was married. He couldn't help but say almost then he would walk to class.

She sighed as she came awake. Tilting her head backwards, he met her violet eyes and marveled at how blue they were. The more tired she was, the deeper the blue. When she was excited they darkened to a dark purple. He hadn't seen them in a mixture of the two yet and was kind of concerned if he did.

"You're awake?" he asked. She nodded with a slow, sexy blink. She pressed her nose behind his ear as he rubbed his fingertips into her hand. "What do you want to do today? Your brother is out of town and F4 has said they won't bother us if we don't call them. I figured we could stay in bed."

She pushed him away and rolled out of the bed. She was wearing his shirt from the night before, and that told him she had gotten up in the middle of the night. He was still naked under the light blue duvet. He buried his face in the pillow long enough to let out a loud groan before getting up and pulling on a pair of pants.

When he walked out into the hallway, he heard and smelled something going on in the kitchen. Storm was standing in the kitchen with a skillet in front of her. He didn't know what she was doing but his recent track record told him that he better stay out. Last time he had gone into her territory she had smacked him with a spatula. She was very territorial about her kitchen. Sometimes he thought she loved the kitchen more than him.

It took a little bit of time but she finally flipped off the burners and used two hot pads to move the skillet from the stove to the wooden chopping block. She dished whatever she had made from the skillet to a plate then set the heavy pan into the sink. She wasn't done with whatever it was so she turned away from him.

Watching her cook was one of his favorite things. When she cooked or worked in the studio, she had such an open expression. It was a stress reliever for her even though she really didn't have all that much to worry about. You know, just getting ready to become Empress if something happened to his father, but there was nothing stressful about that at all.

Finally she brought breakfast over to him. He looked down and found a Hawaiian style breakfast in front of him. For months he had been begging her to make him the breakfast her mother had made her, but she had refused. He looked up at her to find her staring down at the very colorful breakfast platter.

He waited for her, knowing she was bringing up the courage to speak to him. He knew the signs. Her throat was working convulsively as she swallowed enough to coat her vocal cords.

"My mother always told us to wait…" Her words cut off abruptly.

"She wanted you to wait until you found the person you're meant to be with?" he supplied. She nodded. "Why?"

"My great-great-grandmother passed this down to the women, and that was what she said."

He understood. "She didn't want you to give up something so precious so soon unless you knew what was most important to you." Again she nodded. He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward. "What's most important to you?"

She didn't talk, and he hadn't expected her to. She leaned forward and took his face in her hands. Tenderly, she caressed his face with her fingertips. He knew what she wanted to say with that simple movement. She leaned forward and kissed him slowly and deeply. When she pulled away his lips tingled. Then a slow smile spread across his face.

"You've been sampling the pineapple, haven't you?" She smiled and flicked his nose. "Come on. Let's eat. There are plenty of things I want to do today."

He waited until she sat down before he pulled a plate over and started to dig into the scrumptious meal that he was going to beg for every weekend.

THE END


End file.
